Mississauga Music Week returned after the city has been hit with numerous lockdowns throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. Featuring showcases, open mics, webinars, a pop-up jazz night, and the Mississauga Music Awards, the events were in support of the best talent that the city has to offer. Let’s Make Good Productions kicked off their first live event on Saturday, September 18th at the Celebration Square Amphitheatre called the Wonder Women Youth Edition.
The lineup consisted of young women in their early to mid teens who accompany themselves on piano or guitar and sing their own original material. Paige Blossom, Daphne Lane, Jasmine Sekhon and Josie El-Ramady were amongst the performers of the event. Each of these young women merged different genres and brought a unique perspective on love, heartbreak, and personal growth.
During the sound check prior to doors opening, OnSide Media sat down with Arlene Paculan, executive producer of Let’s Make Good Productions. The Wonder Women Series marked the first in-person music event since the beginning of the pandemic. LMG spent the first several months hosting their trademark Wonderfest Series online. For the first time ever, Lets Make Good was able to spread empowerment to artist all over the world. Now that live music events are making a return, Arlene shifted her focus on to Mississauga’s up-and-coming songstresses under the age of 19.
The Amphitheatre at Celebration Square is a spacious yet intimate venue that allows for social distancing and connection to the artists on stage. Daphne Lane’s soundcheck provided a perfect atmosphere as we met with Arlene. When asked how it feels to return to live events, she beams with positivity. “It feels incredible! Its so nice to feel other people’s energy. To hear the applause instead of just seeing it through Zoom. But its the energy that I miss the most. Online stuff is really good, but nothing beats close proximity (six feet)”.
Through her work as a music teacher, Arlene has had the opportunity to inspire many of the young women on the performance bill for the event. She saw potential in her students and has encouraged them to write their own material. For aspiring musicians under 19, it is difficult to find venues that are age appropriate. Therefore, Arlene and the LMG team wanted to create an event that allowed songwriters under 19 to showcase their work in a semi-professional environment. “I thought it was a great opportunity because this is an all-ages space. The girls didn’t get much of a chance to perform pre-COVID because many venues have an age restriction”, Arlene admits.
When asked about the message she wished to send to the night’s audience, Arlene repeated the core value of her production company. “Basically, our mission through LMG is to spread empowerment through art. I think its great to be celebrating the young one who are creating at this age. We want to encourage them in a professional environment. I think that is very empowering”. People of all ages find inspiration to pick up an instrument, sing, or write a song for the first time.
The Wonder Women event radiated enough encouragement, positivity, and hope for people years older than the performers. Before letting Arlene continue her pre-show tasks, we asked her what element can be universally applied to all performers. She responded, “honestly, its just trusting ourselves. I’ve learned that a lot though the pandemic that being true and authentic is the most relatable in all kinds of art. No matter what age, as long as everything is honest and true to us”.
For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/LMGProductions/
Author: Vanessa Butera, Content Writer, The Onside Media, Toronto, Canada. If you have stories to share kindly email: – vanessa.butera@theonside.com
