The rapper talked to The Ontarion about hometown pride and building her identity as an artist
You may not have heard of Haviah Mighty yet, but if her overwhelmingly positive reception at Riverfest Elora this Sunday is any indication, you will know her soon enough. The rapper performed twice at the festival, both with her group The Sorority on Saturday and solo on Sunday. DJ Dem Ones provided backup for her solo act. Her latest EP, Flower City, pays homage to the city of Brampton where she grew up. After her performance, she spoke with The Ontarion about her gratefulness to her city and her career aspirations. Throughout the interview, fans approached her to congratulate her on her set.
Fiona Cashell: How would you describe your latest EP?
Haviah Mighty: I would say it’s an introductory album for the Toronto industry. Not that it’s my first, it’s actually my fifth EP. Early on, I implanted some goals within myself where I had intentions of getting a booking agent and management. I felt that I finally understood what it took to achieve those things and to try to be recognized beyond a fan level, and to try and turn this music thing into a career. Two years later, here I am with my management and I’m on my way to doing my sixth project and first studio album. My whole intention around Flower City was to introduce who I am as a person, so it was a lot of self-reflection, where my ideologies are shaped and formed. Focussing on Brampton was a big part of that for me. My experience growing up in Toronto wasn’t the best. I felt like I was finally able to gain world perspective through moving to Brampton. Having the album being attributed to the place where my ideas were shaped was a great way to share what I wanted to say.
FC: When did you move to Brampton?
HM: I was eight. I lived in Toronto for the first few years of my life, and I grew up in a pretty racist area. It wasn’t safe for me and my three older sisters, and my parents kept us very sheltered. So, within that, I had no world perspective, understanding, or gauge of what the world was like. I just knew my family, my sisters, and school. I felt like my perspective broadened when I came to Brampton, because I could finally ride my bike to the park, which seems stupid and silly, but to me it changed the way I saw things. In the EP, I try to focus on the things I started to understand. I think the positivity from the songs comes from the way that my parents sheltered me from the negativity.
I think it’s taboo to be proud to be from Brampton. There are memes and jokes associated with it. I decided to be super against the grain and say I’m proud to be from Brampton — I don’t care what anyone has to say.
FC: You performed with The Sorority yesterday, the members of which you met at an International Women’s Day event. What were you doing before that?
HM: I’ve been putting out music as a solo artist on a professional level since ‘09. That content on social media will be removed really soon; I’m going to start fresh and do a bit of a rebrand. We met in 2016 doing a cypher, and we were an overnight success. I mean, no money was made, but we gained notoriety. Within three days, we had a million views, and within a month we had two million views. That was where I made the goal to make Flower City, because I couldn’t stop there. I need to let people know I’m not just a rapper, I’m an artist who sings and plays instruments and produces. I met my producer through that cypher too.
FC: You mentioned that you produce stuff on your own. How did you get into that?
HM: I started producing really early. I have worked full time at Long & McQuade for the past three years, on top of my solo stuff and The Sorority. I probably won’t be able to do it for much longer, but the reason I am able to do it is because it’s in my realm as a producer. If you want to get into it, you totally can. I think people sometimes need to hear it from somebody, or see somebody else do it to know that they can. I bought my first PC with my McDonald’s pay check and started making beats because when I did research, it turned out legally I needed to have my own beats. If you have an interest level, you’ll be able to pick it up.
FC: Are there any major performance style differences when you’re in the group versus solo?
HM: Yeah. I don’t know if that difference translates to the audience, but with The Sorority I get to rest my voice a lot more. Those sets are restricted a little bit by our choreography and the songs that we do, so it’s a little more of a collaborative effort. For my solo set, I just started doing the show with my DJ, and we can tailor our set to how we want it. It’s easier to have outfit coordination, or if I want to do a new song I can just do it. If I want to use any technology or hardware I’m free to do that, too. The Sorority feels a little bit safer, whereas I take a few more risks with Haviah Mighty. I’m still figuring out what my set is going to be, but I find I need to be a little bit more responsible and be in charge of a few more moving pieces when solo. I think the energy translates the same to the people who watch us, though.
FC: You mentioned your brother helped produce some of your tracks. Has your family been involved from the beginning?
HM: Yeah, I have three older sisters. They all took piano, I took vocal. My oldest sister is a piano teacher and a vocal teacher with perfect pitch. She is good at theory, where she can write a song with notes and I can write a song with words. We all used to sing in a group together as The Mighty Family. My little brother wasn’t born then, but he just kind of fell into it. He just started producing as Mighty Prince two years ago, and he is so good. These young kids are so good, it’s like they’re more empowered. They know how to use computers younger, and can access the resources quicker. I think he’s going to be a star outside of me, he’s an amazing producer, very reminiscent of a young Murda Beatz.
FC: What’s the best piece of advice another artist has given you?
HM: I don’t know if I have the best piece of advice, but a recent one I got was from working with the producer of A Tribe Called Red who goes by 2oolman. He’s executively producing my upcoming project, and in the studio he gave me a little speech and said, “Everything you know about your process of creating an album is going to change.” You’re going to work with more people, with different artists, and everything you know as a set structure, you have to be okay with it changing. That allowed me to mentally break up how things are “supposed to go,” and we’ve been able to do a lot of cool things with the album so far. For someone of his stature to give that advice gave me the insight to see that change is good. Once I find a regimen and it works, I follow it. But attempting change is good now while people are getting to know you rather than when you’re solidified. You don’t want to change after you’ve figured out your niche. This is the time for trial and error, so that’s what I’ve been doing.
FC: Was there anyone this weekend you were really looking forward to seeing?
HM: I got to see a big chunk of Carly Rae Jepsen’s set, and I was interested to see that set because I only know the one song of hers. The Sorority was super looking forward to seeing The Beaches, because they’re kind of the pop rock version of us, and they were tight. It was great to see a bigger female act do what you often don’t expect to see, and how they’re able to hold the crowd. I didn’t realize Bedouin Soundclash was playing, but I love them.
FC: If you could build a dream tour line up for yourself, what would it be?
[Mighty took a moment to confer with her team members who were present before answering.]
HM: Missy Elliott and Kehlani, that would be a good tour!
Click here to check out our review of Riverfest Elora 2018 and to see more photos.
Photo by Karen K. Tran