As we wrap the year 2022, we look back at the tunes that we have had on repeat all year.
The year saw the release of many long-awaited albums, some outstanding singles by some of the biggest names in music dominating the charts — like Taylor Swift with the release of her Midnights album, Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras with the single Unholy, and About Damn Time by Lizzo.
While these big names dominated our playlists big time, we bring to you a special playlist with songs from some of our favourite local Burnaby artists for you to check out as the year ends.
In no particular order, here is our 2022 Burnaby local playlist:
Stuck in Love by Kaya Kurz
Kaya Kurz is a Burnaby-based vocalist and songwriter.
Kruz first performed on the Burnaby Blues + Roots stage in 2017, and she mentions in her website that as a queer woman of colour, she values diversity and representation. She debuted with Stuck in Love as her first single.
She draws influence from artists like Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell, in a previous interview with the NOW, she even joked about being compared to the late Amy Winehouse — soul, jazz, and indie/alt pop make up the majority of Kruz’s repertoire.
"Lost in Your Head" by Shawn Rawlins
Shaun Rawlins is an indie folk singer-songwriter from Burnaby.
The songs that he writes are all about life — from the gaps in all our lives to love, and everything in between.
Rawlins has self-released two albums, Lost in Your Head and Clean Slate, with the former being his debut.
His last release was in 2017, and per his website, Rawlins is working on new music but no date has been set for a release.
"Never Mine" by April Liang
April Liang is an emerging multifaceted young Burnaby-based artist.
Her music career began at the age of 9, and in March of 2021, she released her debut single Miles, a dance-pop song on all streaming platforms.
It is mentioned in her website that music is the way she communicates, and it acts as her creative outlet, so listening to her songs is almost like an insight into her personal life.
"Angel" by Triton Smith
Triton Smith is a up-and-coming 16-year-old independent Burnaby musician, who writes, sings and produces all of his songs.
He hosts a radio show on CJSF 90.1 from his basement, and shoots his own music videos — the whole package.
"Smash the State" by D.O.A.
The recently re-elected punk-rock legend turned Burnaby councillor, Joe Keithley has a punk classic to be added in the list.
With his band D.O.A., the man gave Burnaby and the rest of Canada many tracks to listen to, and for this playlist, we are going with the song that reflects his political persona and his stage name — Joey Shithead.
"Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Bublé
We can all agree that Canadians and Burnaby residents love hometown superstar Michael Bublé.
While his Christmas songs will make for a perfect playlist by themselves, we are adding the single that gained him his worldwide stardom, which rocked the U.K. charts and reached the top 10.
He wrote the song while he and his would-be wife, Luisana Lopilato, were in the initial stages of their relationship.
Their relationship and the song would resonate with many happy couples while providing hope for singles.
We hope this playlist brings you some musical warmth this holiday season.
