Charmaine drops her debut single “BOLD” available on all streaming platforms and digital stores this month. The release is accompanied by a vibrant music video directed by Eye Blake.
Zimbabwe-born and raised in Harare, Charmaine and her family immigrated to North America in 2000 in search of a better life that led to multiple stops in the US before finally settling in Toronto, Canada in 2007 where she now calls home. Calling Toronto home was not easy as her family lost their house shortly after they arrived after her father got laid off from his job, turning all six of her family members to live in dirty motel rooms. A kitchen so small, only one person could fit in there at a time; no stove, just a little hot plate. The silver lining is that her struggle inspired the young Charmaine to sit on the floor with her notebook and write songs, dreaming of being any place but within the walls of a Motel 6.
Out of her tough upbringing was birthed survival and a hard work ethic that led to a confident rapper with all the accompanying strut and swagger, and a brilliant R&B vocalist able to deliver a heart-stopping ballad. All will be revealed when Charmaine’s debut EP drops in 2021. Now, it all begins, appropriately, with the towering, saucy, darkly menacing BOLD. “After years of ups and downs, wins and losses, I stand in my truth. I’m ready to take it up a notch. I’m ready to be BOLD.”
See the video to BOLD here
To be “BOLD” is to be empowered and real about what it means to be a woman, a mother, an artist, an individual. Charmaine says of her debut release: “I want people to feel like they can do anything. Be anything. They don’t have to pretend to be something they’re not. I want them to feel like stepping into their own power. To be BOLD is to be fearless, unapologetically you. To be able to see and understand that you are worthy, and you are amazing and beautiful. Particularly as a black woman, we’re often told to tone ourselves down. Not any mf more!!”