Sled Island Feature: In Conversation with Hemen Tor-Agbidye
In anticipation for Sled Island 2023 (which officially begins tomorrow, June 21st), we caught up with Sled Island’s new festival manager Hemen Tor-Agbidye to chat about this year’s fest. This is Hemen’s first year in this position after the departure of longtime festival manager Shawn Petsche, and so we asked what he’s excited to see at this year’s festival, and what he imagines the future of Sled Island looking like.
What is your musical background?
I am a hip hop artist and I go by the name The Blue. I have had the opportunity to pursue music while getting to meet and perform with some of my favourite artists like Shad, SonReal, Grieves, and others. I just released my second album Things Could Be Worse back in October right before joining Sled Island.
I was introduced to hip hop for the first time by my uncle when I was around 9 years old. He shared The Fugees with me and that really opened my eyes to the world of hip hop. I only started taking more of an interest in hip hop around 13 though when I was exposed to the likes of Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Lupe Fiasco.
I was blessed to receive mentorship from established local artists when I was younger. That really led to me learning faster and understanding the music industry more. I have been fortunate to perform with some great names and at great festivals while putting on successful shows of my own.
Outside of that, I am also a drummer. There are a few other instruments that I want to learn soon though.
What was your first experience at Sled Island?
My first experience with Sled Island was back in 2014. I was finishing grade 12 and remember being at diploma prep on the day of the pre-festival block party when Shad was headlining. I have been a huge fan of Shad, so I remember finishing diploma prep at UofC, hopping on the train with a friend to City Hall, and then running from City Hall to Lukes in Bridgeland.
That was the first time I heard about Sled Island and knew I had to attend more. I was super excited the following year to then play the festival in 2015. I have gotten to see some unbelievable performances since then, and I look forward to being part of creating those experiences for others.
Do you have ways in mind to develop and grow the festival moving forward, and have you started implementing any of those ideas in this year's festival?
The really great thing about Sled is that there is a constant team effort to make something exciting for the festival attendees.
So many people love Sled, including myself, so my main goal in this first year was seeing what goes behind the process for the festival and learning from the very experienced people on this team. I also tried to take time to meet and learn from the different venue owners and managers involved with Sled. So much wisdom and experience there.
I definitely have a lot of ideas, but I didn’t want to fall into the trap of not understanding the roots and what works. I’ve got some cool ideas for off-season and for new experiences during the festival week. That said, I am hoping to share these ideas with our team post-festival and see what we can create together for everyone in 2024.
What are you most looking forward to for the 2023 festival?
I am looking forward to just being on this side of the festival and being involved in putting together something for the city to enjoy.
There are honestly too many exciting bands and events going on to just name one. I am excited that we can see Bartees Strange, Osees, Akintoye, Amindi, KAINA, Haviah Mighty, DEHD, and so many others.
There are a lot of great Canadian acts that folks need to check out as well. Oranje is a really cool and energetic band from Calgary that will put on a great show. Maky Lavender is an amazing rapper from Québec that people need to check out. “the della kit” is a really talented singer, producer, and DJ from Vancouver who puts on a great soul, jazz, and R&B fusion show. I’m also really excited for people to check out the band Booter (from Winnipeg) at the Sled Island Ramsay Block Party.
Who is your dream band to book at Sled Island?
I honestly don’t even know where to start with this. There are so many acts that I would love to see in Calgary. I don’t know if I have a dream booking
I would love to see Tobe Nwigwe here. He’s doing really exciting and creative things right now. I’m Nigerian, so it’s really cool seeing another Nigerian doing what he is doing on such a large scale. I know that show would be unbelievable.
The singer Mahalia would be such a fantastic addition. She has such an energetic set with a magnetic energy that keeps you hooked the whole time.
I would love to see the artist Nao in Calgary. She and her band have such a beautiful sound. I think she’s someone that Calgary would really enjoy.
There are so many bands and performers that would be amazing to bring to Calgary, so we will see what happens in the future.