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Spruce Stage

SHEBAD

Guelph, Ontario

SHEBAD is the creative spirit of visual artist and vocalist Claire Voy and multi-instrumentalist Ciccio Spagnolo.

Hailing from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, their music plays on the exploratory side of Indie Soul, characterized by jazz-influenced melodies, danceable basslines, and Claire's transcendent voice. Their sound is a synthesis of influences like Stevie Wonder, Hiatus Kaiyote, Amy Winehouse, Daft Punk, and Erykah Badu, making the music compelling and curious with lyrics from the heart. CBC’s Laila Biali aptly describes their sound as “Music that exists in a sonic world of its own”.

The band released their debut album Music is the Answer on Nov. 1st, 2024 to extremely positive feedback including: a 9/10 album rating from music critic Giggens, making Spotify’s Best of Fresh Finds Canada 2024 and 19th on RANGE’s top 50 Canadian Albums of 2024 as well as praise from CBC’s Tom Power, Laila Biali, Rohit Joseph and more. The albums lead single ‘Black Walnut’ made Anthony Fantano’s ‘The Needle Drops best songs of the week’ and charted #5 on TOKIO HOT 100 for two-weeks straight leading to them taking 88th in J-WAVE’s Top 100 songs of 2024.

Performing live, they typically play as a 5-piece arrangement with Ciccio Spagnolo (Bass/Keys/Flute), Claire Voy (Vox/Guitar/Synth), Emil White (Keys/Bass/Sax), Bridget Walsh (Violin/Trumpet/BG Vox) and Emmitt Leacock (Drums/MC). To fill their sound, the live shows consist of musicians swapping instruments from part to part. The variation between danceable and emotive songs creates a dynamic and memorable experience for listeners. The band kicked o 2024 with direct support slots for Kamasi Washington, Thievery Corporation, and Anomalie, followed by headline slots at Hillside, Guelph and Toronto Jazz Festivals and performances at Mariposa Folkfest, Sunfest and Peterborough Folkfest. Signed to booking agency Royal Artist Group with the likes of Snarky Puppy, Salami Rose Joe Louis and Jojo Meyer, in 2025 they’re making their US live-show debut, with more music to come.