Overview
RIGHT? You know it’s a fete anytime Exco Levi hits the stage! Five time JUNO award winning reggae artist Levi will have you on your feet the whole time! Big ups for opener 13-year-old reggae prodigy Kairo McLean, reigning JUNO Reggae Recording of the Year winner. Big bro and little bro, big night for Island Soul!
About Kairo McLean
Kairo McLean is a 13-year-old Canadian-based musical prodigy and the 2022 JUNO Award winner for Reggae Recording of the Year. McLean comes from a musical family – his dad is a musician and drummer – and he began playing the drums at the age of three, and by the time he was five years old, he was also playing the acoustic guitar. Soon after that, he began performing at music festivals all over Canada. McLean cites Bob Marley, James Brown, Michael Jackson and Stevie Ray Vaughan as his musical heroes. He released his four-track EP Easy Now in 2021, which was produced by Canadian musician Tim Dubs and released on the Willow Records label. The first single from the project is the title track, “Easy Now.” The video for the single was shot and directed by Canadian music director Chuckie of Daley Works Entertainment with solid support coming from DJs in Canada, Jamaican, Europe and the United States.
About Exco Levi
Since coming to Canada from his native Manchester, Jamaica, in 2005, Exco Levi has firmly established himself as the country’s premiere contemporary reggae artist. He has won Best Reggae Artist from the JUNO Awards five times with a total of nine nominations and received awards for Most Promising New Artist at the Canadian Reggae Music Awards in 2007 and Artist of the Year and Song of the Year by the Irie Music Awards in 2011. In 2016, Levi was recognized for contributing to local and Canadian culture with an induction into the Brampton, Ontario Walk of Fame.
Levi tours annually worldwide with his band High Priest and as a solo performer and has established an international reputation for his electrifying live performances. His festival performances in Canada have included The Montreal Reggae Festival, Jambana, the Vancouver Island Music Festival and the Harrison Festival of the Arts. In the United States, Levi has played Reggae on the River and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California, Point Reggae in Maine and SOBs in New York City.
International touring highlights include the world-famous Rototom Reggae Festival in Spain, the CHI Showcase in Dubai, and significant festivals in the UK, Germany, Denmark and Finland.
Levi has released three full-length albums, Country Man (2005), Narrative (2018) and Black Creek (2021), with Country Man recognized as a global contemporary reggae essential. He has also put out dozens of thought-provoking singles, such as “Bleaching Shop,” which addresses the controversy of people of colour bleaching their skin to become lighter in complexion, and “Mr. Hammer,” which speaks to the violence plaguing communities, and the irreversible effects of those acts. “Storms of Life” is an internationally acclaimed anthem that encourages all listeners not to give up even though the storms of life sometimes blow around them. “Wha Gwaan” is an infectious dancehall number that has achieved worldwide radio airplay and has a recent spot in the CBC series What’s The Burp. This was the third song of Levi’s licensed in film and television.
Access Info
If you require wheelchair or accessible seating, please contact our Box Office ahead of time at tickets@harbourfrontcentre.com or phone (416) 973-4000, Option 1 – Wednesday–Friday from 1-5pm.
Dates & Times
July 31
8pm – Kairo McLean
9:30pm – Exco Levi