On August 13th, 2024, Behind The Beat held their first artist showcase at Bar Cathedral in Toronto. The event spotlighted performances by local talents ming, S1NE and Ashavari, drawing a crowd of over 100 people. It was a memorable night where the independent Toronto music scene gathered to celebrate and enjoy a lineup of exceptional artists.
The night kicked off shortly after 10 PM with Brenessa Roach, the CEO of Behind The Beat, hosting the event. Following her introduction, ming took the stage with his band, featuring Michael Friedman on drums, Matt Reyes on bass, Kyden Flint on keys, and Chara Kai-Le and Dingani on backup vocals. ming, who debuted in May with the single “Love Again,” performed the track at the showcase. This marked ming’s first-ever performance, made even more special by the presence of a full band on stage. He set the tone for the evening, playing a mix of unreleased songs that had the crowd excited for more. He also brought out Eunice Yeung for a cover of HYBS’s “Tip Toe.”
After ming’s amazing performance, S1NE took the stage alongside by his DJ Dan Song. This was S1NE’s second-ever performance, following his debut show in June at Canadian Music Week. His stage presence was electrifying, bringing an incredible energy to the room. S1NE interacted with the crowd, even encouraging them to move closer to the stage. He performed his released tracks “Over Again”, “April’s Fool”, “Uncharted” and “Home Is Where You Are,” as well as his upcoming single “Movies”, set to drop on September 9th. The crowd loved S1NE’s performance so much that he returned for an encore, closing the night with the fan-favourite “Soda”.
Ashavari closed out the night with a captivating 30-minute set. She delivered an incredible performance, fully engaging with the crowd and expressing herself beautifully on stage. Ashavari performed fan favourites like “Dreamers”, and “Frustrated” and debuted her new track “Down Bad”, which dropped just last Friday in collaboration with STRANJAH and Elin Lee. She also performed several unreleased tracks from her upcoming projects.
Overall, the event was great success and an amazing turnout. It was wonderful to see everyone come together to support Behind The Beat, ming, S1NE and Ashavari.
A special thanks to ming, S1NE and Ashavari for being part of our first showcase, and to all of the talented photographers who contributed photos for this blog.