Toronto-based Tiger Balme is the collective of Yang Chen, Estyr, Danielle Sum, and Anda Zeng coming together to sing songs they could only sing once they had found each other. With members taking turns writing and singing, Tiger Balme’s heart beats with disco, indie, math rock, and ’90s acoustic pop influences through the grounding forces of drums, guitar, and bass, while vibraphone, harp, and harmonies shimmer above. Since 2018, the group of Asian-identifying female and non-binary musicians have created sonic spaces of tender resilience at festivals, art shows, and venerable venues around central Canada. Their November 2022 self-titled album, produced by Paul Chin, is an embrace of the wounds that shape us and the connection that heals us, an ode to the courage that arises from being true to one’s own heart.
Tiger Balme has received play on national and local radio, including CBC’s Afterdark and Big City Small World, The Cool Table and The Night Shift (CJRU). The album has received coverage from CBC Music, Range, and Dominionated, and charted at No. 1 on CJRU’s Top 30. Their music was also placed in the CBC Gem series Lunchbox Dilemma. The band has shared the stage with international and local acts such as Madison McFerrin, Hannah Georgas, Emily Soon, and cutsleeve, and played NXNE, Venus Fest, POP Montreal, Springtide, ROM After Dark and Hugh’s Room.
Tiger Balme
