Nigeria-born, Toronto-based Afrofusion songwriter Shopé is sharing a new track, called “RISING,” which was written and recorded during his 2019 artist residency at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (NMC).
Shopé was the winner of CBC’s Searchlight contest in 2019, winning an opportunity to record at NMC’s world-class studios, among other prizes.
Inspired by the artist’sAfrican roots, the tune is an epic hype song that infuses tribal chants and swirling analog synths from NMC’s collection.
As Shopé notes in a statement, “‘RISING’ is all about boldly claiming your spot in the pantheon of the greats and asserting your merit even as you ascend the ranks.”
The motivational number will also serve as the official soundtrack for Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse in his quest for Gold at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Listen to the track and tune into CBC’s Summer Olympics coverage to see De Grasse compete this weekend.