Having headed out to Toronto on the music trail, the artist known as Unimerce has created a name for herself on the scene. Bringing football into the mix too, she recently collaborated with Frankie Collective to help launch their link up with adidas Canada. We spoke to this creative who is making waves wherever she goes.
Going back a little, can you tell us about where you come from, while you're out in Toronto, that English accent is still there...
"Liverpool, England. That's the team I supported growing up as well."
You've been pulled towards football through link ups with Adidas - have you always had a connection to the game? Are you into it?
"I think everyone from England has a connection to football because everyone’s dad, brother or some member of their family (if not all) supports a team. There is at least 1 football hooligan in every family lolololol. It’s a big part of our culture!"
What memories do you have of growing up with football around you?
"One of greatest memories is that all my family members are big supporters of Liverpool so every time a match was on everyone would watch it at my Nan’s house. My family would always be screaming at the TV especially my Nan! I definitely can’t forget about hating Everton. Darby day is also a big day in Liverpool. You're either a red or a blue and it's very competitive!"
You've definitely helped give football a more stylised look and taken it out of the places it was in say the 90s or 00s - have you seen the football shirt becoming more of a fashion piece recently?
"I definitely feel the football jersey has become more of a fashion piece! Even designer labels have taken the look/style of the jersey and made it their own."
Can you tell us about your career in music - what took you to that side of the world?
"Being able to work on music every day, DJ events/festivals plus work with artists is amazing! I love inspiring others and the creative process of turning a vision into reality. 2.5 years ago I visited Toronto and from there I never went back. I ended up staying to focus on my career and develop my brand!"
You've built an almighty following, would you say getting out of the UK or taking your music to other parts of the world helped that?
"I would definitely say so! I had DJ’d a few clubs back in the UK and was ready to explore different options. When I got to Toronto that's where I really started to focus on my career and established a name for myself in the music industry!"
Looks like you're set up out there, what's the culture like? Is that home now?
"The music culture in Toronto is my favourite! I love how supportive everyone is from artist to artist and artist with their fan base. If your an artist from Toronto and the people vibe with you then your having sold out shows in city even if your not really known anywhere else. Other artists from the industry who come to Toronto feel the same way - that the fans are super loyal to the artists and they love it! It’s definitely somewhere I call home but England is still where I was born and raised."
There's a big football scene in Toronto, the fans look pretty wild - have you experienced much of that?
"Yes, I’ve been to a TFC game before and the fans have amazing energy! It's not as crazy as Europe but it's awesome to see the development of a football culture in this city."
You recently collaborated with Adidas and Frankie Collective, what can you tell us about that? Were you into what they did with the football kits?
"I love what Frankie did with the kits! I’m a big tomboy with a touch of girlie-ness so it was perfect for me. It was an all girls team on the day of the shoot too so that was so much fun!"
It's good to see a strong female presence Frankie Collective brought in wearing football shirts for that shoot - how does it feel to be an empowering figure for women as a woman who is bossing what they are doing?
"Well thank you for the compliment! I’m just out here doing what I love and doing it in my own way. I’m honoured that women look up to me because really I’m just being me. I get messages daily to my Instagram account from women asking questions wanting to know what it takes to have the confidence to do what I do. Messages like that always reminds me to keep going forward because I love inspiring people and it’s really the best feeling that cancels out any negativity."
Would you like to do more in the space where football meets fashion, meets music? All three cultures are connected aren't they?
"Yes I'd definitely love to do more in the space of all 3 cultures as they are connected in many ways!"
What's the next ambition for your music and other projects? Any milestones you're keen to hit this year?
"I mean I just played at VELD Music Festival which was a huge mile stone for me as it's one of the biggest festivals in Canada! I’m working on my production at the moment so I’m excited to start releasing my own music to the world very soon! I'm also focused on expanding my 'AGS' brand to a global scale. I really want to create good vibes to the rest of the world and make good music!"
You can see the full Frankie Collection x adidas Canada collection here. Unimerce is this way.
