Elyssa Plaza first things first thank you for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, to get the interview started tell us about yourself and what made you choose the career path of music?

I am an R&B/Alternative singer/songwriter from Scarborough, Ontario and I’m currently in school at the University of Toronto. Growing up I would always be singing. Throughout elementary school, I would see so many artists being discovered on Youtube, and seeing that inspired me to keep going with singing and getting myself out there. By high school, I would be performing at coffee shops, school talent shows, and school choirs, it was always something I enjoyed doing. By then I knew singing was something I wanted to continue in the future, however, I was too scared to solely focus on music after I graduated high school. After I graduated high school, I went to the University of Toronto to study Math, Religion, and Statistics. Throughout my time in university, I realized pursuing music is something I would want to continue in the future. So during my time in university, I would be writing songs and working towards releasing new music. Growing up, singing was something I enjoyed doing, and by the time I got into high school and university I knew it was something I was very passionate about and something I wanted to focus on in the long-term.

Elyssa Plaza · Getting over you

How long have you been making and since your start what are some things you have learned?

I started making music probably back in 2018. 2018 was when I started writing songs and by 2019 I released my first single “Getting Over You”. Something I learned that stood out to me the most is being patient. There were times I was frustrated with myself that I wasn’t able to reach specific dates of when I wanted to get things done musically, but at the end of the day, I realized there’s so much time and there's no need to feel pressured. I learned that taking your time can get things done properly and carefully instead of it being rushed.

Where are you from and how would you say this area has influenced you, and your sound?

I’m from Scarborough, Ontario, and being able to see the Toronto local music scene is very inspiring. So many unique voices and amazing talent! It is inspiring to see Toronto artists grow and making it bigger into the music scene because it is something I strive to do as well. The Toronto music scene has inspired me to be myself and experiment with my sound.

In addition to you influencing your sound, how is the area for creatives would you say it is still an emerging area or a hub, and have you worked with any artists from the area?

I feel like Toronto is still an emerging hub. There are so many amazing talents I have to see that go unnoticed and I feel like there should be more recognition for the talented artists in Toronto. I haven’t worked with other singers yet but I have worked with many great producers in Toronto.

Who are some of your favorite artists that you grew up listening to and as of right now what are the 5 albums and artists you currently have in your rotation?

My favorite artists I grew up listening to would be Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, and Beyonce. As of right now, the artists I have on rotation would be Snoh Alegra, Giveon, Frank Ocean, Lee Fields & The Expressions, and The Beegees.

So right now you’re currently with the startup Tomboy Records which is pretty cool, how did you meet them and what led to you formally signing to them?

I met Tomboy Records through social media. Casandra reached out to me on Instagram and told me about Tomboy Records. I was busy with school at the time so by the summer I gave it some thought and decided to sign with them. It was the greatest decision made! I decided to sign with them because I knew we both had similar end goals. With our similar ambitions, I knew that we would both work hard to achieve them.

So let’s get into your music. You just recently released your new song “Is It Really Love” tell us about this new song, and what inspired it?

I started working on the production on "Is It Really Love" back in March/April. This song has been something I had for probably about 2 years and was never released. When I first wrote it, I wrote it based on my family experiences and the misinterpretations of love language. From my experiences, this song questions if these actions are supposed to express love or if it's toxic. It took me some time to release it because it was something pretty personal. I also wanted the production to do the song justice and I never really knew what I wanted. I’ve only played this song live twice and it’s been with a live band. This year I finally decided to work on the production of the song and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

Elyssa Plaza · EP by EP

Last year you also released a Small EP titled EP, tell us about this project, what inspired it, and who are some of the people that helped you put it together in production?

This project was very fun to make. This was inspired by my personal experiences, specifically my experience with relationships, how I felt in the moment, and the way I dealt with things. "Forever", is probably one of my favorites from the album. High Rize Beatz helped put the production together along with mixing/mastering.

So going into 2021 what are some things you want to accomplish before the end of 2020, and what are some of your biggest goals in 2021?

Releasing “Is it Really Love” was a big accomplishment for 2020. By 2021, I plan on releasing more music and hopefully perform (whether it be in person or online)!

Any last words?

Thanks so much for having me!

Thank you to Elyssa Plaza, and Tom-Boy Records for giving us a chance to feature them on Nefarious Supply. Be sure to check out TomBoy Records as well as Elyssa Plaza on Instagram and check out the full labels music available on all streaming platforms!

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Tomboy Records first things first thank you for reaching out to us we we’re really excited to interview Amaka, and now it's even more exciting to interview the actual label behind this talented artist! So just to get the interview started tell us about Tomboy Records, how did it start, who contributed to its start, and what is the meaning behind the name?

Thank you, I really enjoyed reading that interview. I started Tomboy Records in 2018 after finishing my freshman year in college for Music Business. I always knew I wanted to do something in music like be a musician or producer, but I never thought about being on the business side. My friend I met in college helped contribute to its start by helping me pay to register my business. Pretty much if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t have started this label when I did. The name is an acknowledgment of growing up as a ’tomboy’, being into stuff like sports and my dad's favorite type of music. The choice of name is a representation of who I was and grew up to be.

Where is the label based out of, and how would you say this area is a hub for underground and emerging artists if so why?

The label is based out of Scarborough, which has so many talented, underground, and emerging artists in many genres it’s actually insane. Lots of artists are on their come up like LOONY, as well as Dejuan. What's so amazing though is it’s not just Scarborough but also the cities that are more east. These artists are so focused on making it to the downtown scene but from our personal experience a lot of the talent that go to these events or have their shows downtown are from the suburbs outside the downtown core. The east I feel is overlooked even though it has such a strong hub for upcoming artists of all types of genres.

Who is currently on Tomboy Record’s creative team, how do each of you bring something to the label to help it grow as a brand and business, and talk us through the daily day to day of being a start up label?

C: We’re our own creative team pretty much every idea we bounce off of each other until it’s perfect to go through with. I deal with all the business and Kéia helps me execute every idea. She’s the creative behind this all. She’s created show flyers, our logo, music cover art, and much more content, which has helped the label grow as a brand in ways I couldn’t have done by myself. Our daily day to day consists of reading a lot of emails, checking in with artists to see what they’ve been up to which includes music they’re working on, artist development, and everyday things. Our day to day also consists of planning content to create and post, staying updated on the industry, and creating connections with people. All while managing and overseeing the music and numbers.

K: Before the pandemic, another part of our days was the networking events and finding shows for our artists to perform at my personal favorite part of the job. As far as creating content, figuring out how to design the artwork for singles and albums is extremely collaborative making sure that the artists are completely pleased and execute their vision.

What would you say is the number one hardest thing about being a start up label and why?

Making a name for yourself in the industry is super hard. Trying to build the connections within the industry or the music scene, it’s complicated, hoping companies will take you seriously, hoping you’re reaching out to the right people. You need that endurance, this is really a marathon. It's easy to feel helpless especially if we get caught up comparing ourselves or counting the times our emails are ignored. All about patience though, and showing respect to those who laid out some stepping stones for us to even be where we’re at and do what we do.

So as of now you have three artists signed to your roster including Amaka Queenette, Elyssa Plaza, and Chris Chand. How did the label and the artists get together and what led to the formal business relationship being established between each of them?

I reached out to Amaka after Kéia showed me her Instagram. I sent her a DM telling her that I was interested in working with her and after some time she pitched an idea to me about wanting to organize an artist showcase. We ended up putting on Gestalt: A Showcase in August 2019 at Lee’s Palace together and it created a good working and trusting relationship between us. I met Elyssa through Instagram and also sent a DM about wanting to work on releasing a project. She was the first artist I reached out to, her voice was what I was looking for to represent the label and niche. We’ve had a couple shows and gone to many events together which has helped us as a brand and artist. Chris and I actually met at college until he dropped out of the program. This year he reached out to me about working together and we’ve created a very good and open working relationship. We have very similar goals which is great because it creates a friendlier relationship rather than a business one where we’re able to talk about any idea or plan.

With the artists you have signed so far how would you say all of them fit into the label as a whole, and how does their music as well as their overall presentation add to the image of Tomboy Records?

As a whole, they all represent what the label is. I stand by working and creating an environment that is 100% transparent and in favor of the artist, not myself personally or the brand, and they all reciprocate this towards me. Tomboy Records is not a genre specific label even though our roster right now creates all different R&B subgenres. However this does add to the overall presentation to our image because I want to show that all music is different and you do not have to commit to just one sound.

In addition to being a start up label you guys also announced a collaborative business venture with R&B Radar called Talent over Clout. What led to this collaboration and what are some of the long term goals you hope the partnership will achieve?

We actually connected because Tommy, the founder of R&B Radar, showed high interest in our roster. We have similar goals of helping artists and views of the industry so we decided to work together and create a super team to achieve our goals. The long term goals I hope our partnership will achieve is creating a community in our industry that is truly about the artist and music rather than money.

What’s next for the label? What are some big goals as a team you guys hope to accomplish before the year is over?

C: We‘re hoping to push out some more music and finish projects we’re working on with our artists. As a team, before the year is over we want to keep building relationships with others in the industry and gaining more opportunities.

K: Hopefully some more shows depending on how COVID goes over and some more music videos.

Who would you guys recommended we interview next on Nefarious Supply

C: Middle Men

K: Deshaun Hamilton, he’s an upcoming rapper dope stuff.

Any last words?

C:This was dope, I’m grateful for this opportunity and I hope to be able to meet up soon and have y’all come out to future shows!

K: Thank you for your time and this opportunity. To the readers remember to always support your hometown artists.

Big shout out to Tomboy Records for interviewing with Nefarious Supply its really exciting to see start ups like this coming up and changing the current music scene. If you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with Tomboy Records you can follow them on Instagram and be sure to follow the labels roster as well!

If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, and Twitter. We also recently opened the Nefarious Supply Store and we are doing a free giveaway so if you want to support you can show some love here!

Elyssa Plaza - Is it Really Love

TOMBOY Records - Underground Label Start Up