With the Convergence Music and Art Festival only four short weeks away, it's time to get you fired up for some of the exceptional music that has been happening in and around Oshawa. Mark your calendar for September 23 so that you don't miss these and many others at Convergence.
Singer/songwriter Delon Om is a former Canadian Idol contestant who, after working with the late producer Sheldon Moore, catapulted to stardom in 2016 when Virgin Radio 99.9 added “Superstar” into rotation. In 2021, Om teamed up with two-time Canadian Latin Award winner BenAnthony LaVoz and Latin Grammy winner Sensei Musica to release “The Gentleman & Scholar,” which was nominated for three Canadian Latin Awards. Delon has also won awards at the OMA's and has recently landed a two-song deal with Netflix. His latest single is ‘Peace and Love’.
“Born and raised in Pickering, I was a hop, jump and skip away from Oshawa,” says Delon. “Ten years ago, I met Sheldon Moore - a Juno award-winning producer based in Oshawa. Sheldon was a route to Oshawa, which became my home, and Sheldon's studio was a place to create, craft and celebrate all that is music. Last year, Sheldon passed away, and Oshawa will forever be home to me. Working at Ontario Tech University as a part-time professor, this great city has given me opportunity after opportunity, and it's now my time to return the favour: my team holds an undercover kindness charity called Six Dreams Apart, travelling across Oshawa and gifting people $100.00 gift cards for groceries. These are the many routes to Oshawa.”
There will be few people in Oshawa who don’t know singer/songwriter Matthew Holtby. He has had many bands over his two decades of making music and was a very popular DJ, Matt Diamond, on 94.9 the Rock. Now based in Warkworth, Holtby has been working on his own solo project, releasing singles that have received airplay on CBC (‘This Old Heart’) and performing across the GTHA with his backing band.
“Oshawa is my hometown, born and bread. We’ll be announcing a three-song EP for a Fall release. hopefully, just in time for the festival!”
NERiMA is a three-piece alt-pop band based in Oshawa that has garnered attention for some time. In 2021, the group was nominated for the Emerging Artist or Band of the Year at the OMA's, and they have performed their Green Day meets Paramore-inspired tunes at NXNE, Springtide and Come Together in New York. They have a new EP, their second, ‘Kiss Your Shadows,’ which is available now and a summer run through Southern Ontario, but they look forward to returning to their hometown when they play Convergence on September 23, 2023.
“All our members live in or around Oshawa, and it's our home base for practicing, studio recording, and
all of our meeting up is done right here in our hometown. We have played all of the Oshawa music
venues that we have loved since we have started, and we always focus on participating in our local
events and growing in this scene as much as we can.”
