The story of Toronto-based Tiger Balme is the story 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, intimate art shows, and venerable venues around Toronto and Southern Ontario. Their self-titled debut album 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 Afterdark (CBC Music), Big City Small World (CBC Radio One), The Cool Table (CJRU), 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 in February of this year. 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 has played NXNE, Venus Fest, POP Montreal, ROM After Dark and Hugh’s Room Live.
Photo: Ori Dagan
