Haviah Mighty should be on every hip-hop fan鈥檚 radar this summer. The JUNO award-winning rapper spent the past month touring Canada and the U.S. before returning home to open for R&B superstar Ashanti at the TD 色色啦 Jazz Festival in June.
Last week, without missing a beat, Mighty released her second full-length album, 鈥淐rying Crystals.鈥 The 40-minute genre-bending project embraces themes of lost love, toxicity, sexuality and braggadocio, while tapping into dance music, Afrobeats, amapiano and dance hall. The album is somehow both intensely personal and energized with summertime vibes.
The Star sat down with the Brampton-bred star to talk about her recent release and learn what鈥檚 she鈥檚 been reading, watching and listening to lately.
“Crying Crystals,” the latest release from Brampton-bred rapper Haviah Mighty.
Courtesy of artistWhat were the experiences you had that informed 鈥淐rying Crystals?鈥
It鈥檚 an album detailing a relationship I was in that was very difficult. It鈥檚 about all of the tears (I wept) as I was working on myself, while losing myself within this person. I have a corresponding emotion for every song on the album because every song represented a stage of grief I was going through. But in the end, those tears solidified into crystals. The album is representative of my glow-up and my ability to overcome the hardship of that relationship. I think it鈥檚 very relatable. We all go through situations where our connections with other people inform who we鈥檙e going to be, in positive or negative ways.
Take us through the writing process on one of your songs off the album.
鈥淢ain Character鈥 is a song that was initially (inspired by) an emotion. I heard someone was talking about me 鈥 they called me the main character. But this was also someone who was always in my face asking how I was. It was so fake! I bottled up how that emotion made me feel, but then I realized something: you鈥檙e actually right! You calling me the main character isn鈥檛 an insult to me. If you鈥檙e intimidated by the amount of space I take up, then I鈥檓 going to take up more space. It was almost like owning the insult.
There鈥檚 a line in the song that says 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need a filter, or makeup, 4K b鈥.鈥 I started thinking about all the girls that would listen to this. I started thinking about my audience and how they, too, might feel like the main character sometimes, so I wrote the song so that people could feel like their best selves when they woke up. Something that started off as a negative emotion turned into championing yourself.
How is your music style on 鈥淐rying Crystals鈥 different compared to your past projects?
It鈥檚 eclectic. I like to play around with sounds. There鈥檚 some dance, R&B, afrobeats and amapiano. I think this project explores all these sounds and vibes authentically. It wasn鈥檛 an attempt to intentionally go into these different spaces. I鈥檓 naturally inspired by them and I was always exposed to different styles of music from a young age. I鈥檓 not able to put boxes around myself. A major (element) of my sound is that it isn鈥檛 caged in. My music has given me the opportunity to explore.
Who inspires you?
Right now, I鈥檓 most encouraged by artists that are able to (transform) their branding and messaging 鈥 maybe even their esthetic 鈥 but the continuity of high-quality music never changes. Doja Cat is really good at reinventing herself, in terms of her branding: changing her hair, eyebrows and style, but the calibre of her music doesn鈥檛 falter.
How does your Caribbean background play a role in your sound?
My dad is Jamaican, so even putting my dad鈥檚 voice at the end of 鈥楬oney Bun鈥 is a way I bring in my culture to the music. For the hip-hop listener, they may be like 鈥渨ho is this man?鈥 But the whole song is formulated around the type of lessons and teachings he would give me. And from my Bajan side, overall it鈥檚 just the infusion of the Caribbean world and that being a natural progression for me.
Culture Calendar
Movie you watch over and over: 鈥淚 have two: 鈥楾raining Day鈥 and 鈥楳ean Girls.鈥欌
Last great book you read: 鈥溾楳isery鈥 by Stephen King.鈥
Playlist essentials: 鈥淟ately, 鈥極wlz鈥 by Bloom. I don鈥檛 even know what genre it is but it makes me want to work out. Songs that make me want to work out are essential!鈥
Bingeworthy TV show: 鈥淚 recently binged 鈥 on the plane. It was great!鈥
色色啦 events you鈥檙e excited to attend: 鈥淒efinitely the CNE because I鈥檒l be playing a show there on Aug. 25. And I can鈥檛 wait to go to Wonderland 鈥 I love rides and thrills. Also, [色色啦 Caribbean Carnival] is coming up 鈥 I鈥檇 love to go to one of the events within that week to jump and wave a little bit!鈥
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