Liz Lokre

Music is deep in her blood. Liz Lokre has been writing and performing since she was 12, growing up singing in church, and winning music competitions across North America. Her father booked live rock music in his native Dublin while her Trinidadian mother travelled the world as an Indian dancer. It was her grandmother who had in fact pioneered a popular pre-Bollywood style of dance. 
 
But Liz gravitated toward Stevie Wonder, Sade, and Alicia Keys. Before she was 16, she had already been “walking through every door I could, getting every experience I could, getting used to being on stage and finding my voice,” she says. Although she continues to travel regularly to LA and beyond, it’s in Toronto, that she continues to hone her craft. Her vocal coach—who she shares with The Weeknd—recommended her to Adrian X, the guitarist and OVO Festival musical director, who has headed up the live bands for Drake, The Weeknd, Partynextdoor and more. 
 
Drawing on their shared love of R&B, reggae, international pop and elements of what’s become known as the “Toronto sound," together they created the sound of the LZL collective.
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It’s immediately obvious that Lokre has a stunning voice—that’s why her acoustic covers of Sia and Justin Bieber get hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. The raw power of her voice, her chops on piano and guitar (she recently took up the drums as well), and her authenticity separates her from every other aspiring diva.
 
Surrounding her the release of her recent single "Rise Up!" Liz has started #RiseUpMovement, “encouraging people to focus on their strengths, on what their gifts are and what they can give back.” On days off her tour schedule, she hosts workshops for Grade 7 and 8 students talking about self-esteem. “‘Rise Up’ is the foundation, the tone of what I want to do,” she says, “it’s a reason why I sing.” 
 
The song is also a calling card for a crazily talented and confident new artist, one whose message speaks to unify and uplift, a grounded and gifted performer, one whose own ascent is clearly on the path ahead of her.