Advocating for Change Through Music

Written by Abby Power

December 6th, 2022

As a queer singer/songwriter from Toronto, Cameron Tania is a Phoebe Bridgers-obsessed advocate who uses her platform to sing about realistic social issues and genuine human emotions. These issues and emotions are not specific towards one gender, one person, or one group of people, but issues that anyone can experience, and emotions that anyone can feel. Cameron pours her emotions into the songs that they write, and has been doing so, professionally, since their high school days. She began to take an interest in singing at the age of 12 and has not stopped since.

“I can’t quite pinpoint my first real exposure to music,” she stated, “I’ve been surrounded by music my whole life.” Cameron’s biggest inspiration is Phoebe Bridgers. “I love her lyricism, and she plays such cool chords. As an artist who is inspired by that blues and jazzy feel, those cool chords really stand out to me.” Phoebe Bridgers is also a strong advocate for human rights and social justice issues, which is another reason as to why Cameron Tania is so heavily influenced by the 28-year-old American artist.

As part of the 2022 Oshawa Music Awards (OMAs), Cameron was rightfully awarded ‘songwriter of the year’. “It’s so funny because I’m not even from Oshawa, somehow I just got swooped into Oshawa!” She had an eventful and memorable experience, as staff showed them to and from their seat, and she was joined by friends and family. “I took a year off after high school because I genuinely had no idea as to what I wanted to do. Music really stood out to me, but it was so scary when I first got into it and said, ‘this is what I want to do, this is what is right for me’. The award solidified that I was right and that I made the right decision. It made me feel so good about what I’ve accomplished!” As an artist, one can hope to hold such awards in their hands, and as for Cameron, she was hopeful, yet still surprised.

In 2021, Cameron Tania released ‘Since You’ve Stopped Loving Me’, a song about love being thrown into their life. “That song is about a dusty-crusty man,” she said, “But the song felt so natural to write, it came very easily as I needed an outlet for all of my emotions. I find that it is easiest to write songs when I am really feeling, as the emotions are pure.” The song features a live saxophone track and a live choir. On the same day, September 17th, 2021, their EP, Alone On Fire, was also released. “I was so cheesed because the distributor thought that they were both being released! My song ‘Since You’ve Stopped Loving Me’ is featured on the EP, so there was a bit of a mix up there... There’s a song on it called ‘Helium’, which talks about my battle with addiction. It was nominated for ‘song of the year’ at the OMAs, and it has a special place within my heart.” Cameron spoke about her troubles with addiction. “At the age of 21, at a such a young age, it’s almost unheard of to be open and talking about it. People don’t realize what addiction came happen at any age! And from my own experience, I sound as if I’m so old, but I’m only 21.”

Aside from their life as an artist, Cameron is a vocal coach and passionate advocate. She uses their platform to teach anyone and everyone, with their oldest client being 80. Cameron aspires to help others and progressively advocate for fat liberation, mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter (BLM), neurodivergent accessibility, addiction recovery, and domestic abuse awareness. “This is my moment,” Cameron laughed, “I stand and advocate for various [human rights and social justice] issues.” She continued by stating that she would love to work with more women and more people within the LGBTQ+ community, as she aspires to write a song about queerness in the near future.

Through her experience as an artist within the Music Business program at Durham College, Cameron has found opportunities through luck, and through the students within the program. “I was supposed to work with another manager, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Luckily, my manager Andre and Sarah Varty fell right into my lap, they were willing to work with me since the get-go. I trust Sarah with everything, she has done a lot for me!”

Cameron Tania’s music can be found on all streaming platforms. Most recently, Cameron was featured in a women’s music showcase that took place on December 11th, 2022. She will be releasing new music in the near future, and continues to advocate for change.