Aphrose | "Yaya"

With music that moves between the golden age of 70’s soul and its modern iterations, Canadian rnb, soul, and neo soul artist Joanna Mohammed aka Aphrose is a stunningly expansive vocalist and creative lyricist who honours the origins of the genres through her expertly created, and historically informed sound. With vocal dexterity that would impress her musical heroines, Aphrose‘s dazzling, 1970’s hued sound transports listeners to a time when soul music went beyond a musical category and into a feeling, while incorporating the soulful sounds of today.

With a a reputation for powerful R&B vocal stylings, Aphrose has worked with international heavyweights Daniel Caesar, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Jessie Reyez, Nikki Yanofsky and Charlotte Day Wilson, to name a few. After ten years as a working professional vocalist and hungry to express and pursue her own creative ideas, Joanna Mohammad debuted under her artist name Aphrose (chosen from her mother’s birthname). Reuniting with old college schoolmate Scott McCannell (SafeSpaceship Music), Aphrose released her first single, “The Middle” – a song heavy in groove, chill-inducing vocals and empowering lyrics.

After a string of successful single releases in 2018 and 2019, Aphrose shared her debut LP Element. The nine-track album earned her national acclamation and opportunities – including a live performance feature on CBC Music First Play, tour support for Moon Vs Sun (Chantal Kreviazuk & Raine Maida), song placement on CBC drama series “Diggstown”, and a spot lending her vocals to a Sportsnet 2019 NBA Finals commercial. She followed up the album with singles “If We Ever Change” and “Bobby Daba” in 2021, each wracking up over 100,000 plays on Spotify.

Raised in the culturally diverse neighbourhoods of Scarborough, Aphrose’s musical tastes and influences are wide and run deep, shaped by the music present in her Trinidadian household. With an apparent musical reverence for soul legends Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder to modern icons like Amy Winehouse and Frank Ocean, Aphrose’s songs both lyrically and musically embody self-realized power, euphoric love, and ancestral strength.

Aphrose’s sophomore album, Roses, is slated to be released in the Fall of 2023. Aphrose shares, “It combines all the sounds I love and is a love letter to my family and where I come from. Throughout the record, there is audio of my (late) grandmother Rose speaking/praying that was isolated from old hi8 home video tapes, and the title single that will be released Roses, is a tribute to her. I’m excited about this body of work because it feels really honest and is exactly the music I want to make right now.”