CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. —
A 29-year-old Charlottetown hip-hop artist says music probably saved his life in high school.
Now, Braeden Van Asperin, whose stage name is BraedenV, is paying it forward.
The Music P.E.I. Award nominee, who broke out on his own this year, will release his first full-length album in 2021, with a new single hitting streaming platforms each month.
His next single, Ghost, is coming out Jan. 11 and will be the first of 12 songs he will release next year, one each month. His goal is to release the final single by Dec. 1 and put out the 12-song album by Christmas.
LISTEN: BraedenV – Ghost
“There is a healing power to music,” said Van Asperin. “I suffered from depression in high school, and if it wasn’t for music I don’t think I would be around today. The Beatles, for example, helped me through some dark days.
“I think a lot of artists have mental health issues, whether it’s depression or bipolar or addiction. And, I don’t really express myself very well with people … I do it better through my music.”
The son of William Van Asperin and Heather Quinn released a self-produced EP last summer. Two of the singles from that EP, Voices and Bye Boy, helped him earn more than 15,000 streams.
Voices was nominated for a Music P.E.I. Award on Friday for hip-hop recording of the year.
Following that EP, the artist wanted to do a proper studio project, so he released Chasing Planes, a three-song EP. From that EP he released the single Good Life on Nov. 30 that has received more than 3,000 streams across various platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and SoundCloud.
“This year has been a learning experience. It has been cathartic. I grew a lot as a human being from releasing my own music. I used to be so afraid of singing something that people didn’t like. With the pandemic and the lockdown, I didn’t like where I was personally.’’
Van Asperin had something to say, and he needed to express himself through music. With live shows all but non-existent, he decided to start writing. He records his songs in his home studio using a small variety of instruments and equipment. Then, he goes into the Hill Sound Studio in Charlottetown where he works with sound engineer Adam Gallant to record his vocals and mix and master the songs.
Van Asperin has a message and a goal of spreading positive music in the hopes that it will be heard by those who need it most. He wants to make music that makes hard times easier.
Releasing one song per month will give him time to allow each song to bloom on its own rather than drop a whole album at once with a lot of material to promote and digest.
Van Asperin said he was mentored by local rapper Cavy.
“He took me under his wing early on to help me develop my style and delivery in rap as it is a genre I’m a bit new at.’’
Top five
The Guardian asked Braeden Van Asperin to name five of his favourite artists and influences. Here they are in no particular order:
- The Beatles
- Mike Shinoda with Linkin Park
- NF
- Dax
- Bazanji
Van Asperin said his love of music comes from the days as a youngster when his father would listen to Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, The Eagles or The Beatles.
As a teenager, he grew to appreciate hip-hop, explaining that it was an easier style of music he could produce on his own without having to worry about a band backing him up.
“Now I feel like I’m becoming the person that I want to be,’’ Van Asperin says of the style of music he has chosen for the moment and the process he’s going through now.
“It ended up being a really cathartic and self-actualizing experience. There were songs that reached me when I needed help. If it weren’t for those songs, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Seek help
- If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, seek help immediately by either calling 911, going to an emergency department or by calling the Island Helpline at 1-800-218-2885.
Dave Stewart is The Guardian’s culture reporter.
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