SPILL FESTIVAL FEATURE: NXNE 2026 – SPILL MAGAZINE PRESENTS 5 QUESTIONS

HARLEY OLIVIA | KREESHA TURNER | DROP DEAD POPPIES | MOA | J3M | PLUS! | LINX | JACKIE ART | DRUNK CAT

ARTIST NAME: HARLEY OLIVIA

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

NXNE is amazing because it is an opportunity to see both indie bands and more established bands in the same week. It allows for smaller artists to get on the same stages as these bands and be seen by more people, possibly helping boost their visibility and career. As for the audience members, they get to see their favourite bands and discover ones they may never have encountered otherwise. I also really enjoy the informative panels and the sense of community that forms over the course of the fest!

2. What should we expect from your live show?

My live show is energetic as hell! We love to jump around the stage and get the crowd moving. Some of my influences are Lady Gaga and My Chemical Romance so you can expect groovy pop moments mixed with heavy rock riffs, screams, and hard-hitting drums. We will be debuting our new single during our show on the 13th too, so we’re really excited.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

My partner Siegfried Meier and I started writing during COVID when I was on leave from my job. I worked as a flight attendant for a major airline for almost a decade and I had been looking for a way out so I could focus on my music. When the pandemic happened, Siegfried and I started writing and before we knew it we had a full set of songs. Siegfried is an amazing JUNO award-winning producer, so we holed up in his studio and got our EP together and never turned back. Now we’re releasing our full-length in September! Fun fact: We also have an adorable Persian cat named Rupee that is the face of my merch!

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

This is a tough question because my favourite films of all time are The Lord of the Rings but the music is already perfect so I wouldn’t want to change anything. I think with my rock sound I’d love to do the music for movies with badass female warriors like Black Widow, Lara Croft or Guardians of the Galaxy. I could definitely see Gamora or Lara strutting around to my new single!

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

Hmm, let’s go with Bruce Springsteen, I’d love to join him on stage for Dancing In The Dark!

ARTIST NAME: KREESHA TURNER

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

The discovery. There is something so special about a festival environment where people aren’t just coming to see one artist they already love, they’re open. They’re wandering, they’re curious, they’re willing to be surprised. As a returning artist stepping into a new sonic chapter, that energy is everything to me. You get to meet an audience that hasn’t made up their mind about you yet, and there’s real electricity in that. Beyond the performance itself, NXNE has always felt like a cultural moment for Canadian music, a place where the industry, the fans, and the artists all exist in the same space at the same time. That kind of community is rare, and I don’t take it for granted. I’m coming back to a Canadian stage after a long time away, and doing it at NXNE feels like exactly the right re-entry point.

2. What should we expect from your live show?

Something alive and constantly moving. The show is built around four pillars: my older material reimagined through a jazz lens, the new album, jazz standards, and a neo-soul foundation. But don’t expect them in any neat order! I want the show to feel like a conversation, not a setlist, so those worlds blend and shift throughout the night depending on the energy in the room. I’m also bringing local jazz musicians in every city I perform, because jazz is about community, it’s about listening and responding to each other in real time. No two shows will sound exactly alike. What will be consistent is the presence. I spent a lot of my earlier career performing in my head, thinking about choreography, pitch, what people were thinking. It’s only in jazz that I’ve found those voices go quiet. I’m stepping into every one of these shows in complete surrender, and I think audiences will feel the difference.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

In 2024, I embarked on my very first solo travel experience ever! I set off through Southeast Asia and ended up visiting Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea, and the Philippines. I had never done anything like that before, travelling completely alone through that many countries, and it changed me in ways I’m still processing. But the moment that shifted everything was in Bali. Something about being there… the stillness, the spirituality of the place, just being alone with myself, and it’s there that I found music again. I had genuinely forgotten how much I loved it, how much it was a part of me. Bali gave it back to me. So in a way, this whole album exists because I got on a plane by myself and didn’t really know where I was going.

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

Lady Sings the Blues! Without hesitation, because Billie Holiday is one of my absolute idols. And what I love most about Billie is something that I think gets overlooked: her voice isn’t about technique. She is not Mariah Carey, she is not Celine Dion, she is not Whitney Houston. Vocally, she is not the most advanced singer by conventional standards and that is exactly why she moves me the way she does. With Billie, everything is about emotion. It’s about how her voice makes you feel. Every note she sang came from somewhere so deep and so real that you couldn’t help but feel it too. That’s the kind of artist I want to be. So for the soundtrack, I would lean into her classic songs like “God Bless the Child,” “Don’t Explain,” “Strange Fruit”, reimagined through my jazz and neo-soul lens, honouring the originals while letting them live in my voice. And then I’d write one or two originals that pay direct homage to her spirit. Not trying to be Billie, just trying to be in an honest conversation with her. Creating emotion, creating a feeling without spelling it out, that is one of the most fulfilling things you can do as a creative. And nobody understood that better than she did.

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

Bruce Springsteen, and it’s not even a close call, I am a fan, deeply and genuinely. But beyond that, what Bruce does live is in a category of its own. Every show is different. He never does the same setlist twice, he plays for hours, he gives everything he has every single night, and the musicianship! His and the E Street Band’s is just legendary. There’s a generosity to the way he performs, like he’s in a real conversation with the audience, not just delivering a show at them. That philosophy resonates with me deeply, especially right now as I’m stepping back into live performance with that same spirit of surrender and presence. To open for someone who embodies that level of commitment to the live experience would be both an honour and the most incredible masterclass. I’d be watching from the side of the stage every single night.

ARTIST NAME: DROP DEAD POPPIES

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

We love a choose-your-own-adventure approach; NXNE shows off some of Toronto’s best venues and nightlife.

2. What should we expect from your live show?

Diversity, dynamics, and dad jokes.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

Our lead singer recently cut her house in half.

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

Trailer Park Boys Xmas Special (2004) — lots of pedal steel and big riffs!

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

Neil, because we’re not born in the U.S.A.

ARTIST NAME: MOA

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

That they champion independent and up and coming artists! In a world where full-time creating is but a dream for most musicians, it’s so uplifting and inspiring to see that there is still this thirst for new music and artists.

2. What should we expect from your live show?

Expect to see a lot of different sides of MOA. My art focuses on the unpolished parts of life, and much like my personality, my music has what I can only describe as ‘no filter’.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

I can fit literally my whole fist in my mouth.

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

This is such a hard question ’cause I love so many films, but I think it would be iconic to write the soundtrack for Ghost World. The soundtrack would be an eclectic mix of ominous and experimental vocal arrangements, alternative rock and pop, and uncomfortable string arrangements.

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

I just released a really dramatic cover of “Born To Run”, so I’m gonna go for Bruce on this one!

ARTIST NAME: J3M

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

Any chance to be in community with other musicians is my favorite thing. Also the opportunity to discover new artists I didn’t already know!

2. What should we expect from your live show?

To sing and dance whether you like it or not.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

I was once on the same stage as Cyndi Lauper. Big shoutouts to Lu Kala for that opportunity.

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

This may surprise you but Kiki’s Delivery Service. I love Studio Ghibli films and it’s one of my favorite themes of all time. Take a listen to the soundtrack and you’ll see. Very dreamy and whimsical.

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

The Mynah Birds. That’s the band that Rick James and Neil Young played in together in the Motown Days.

ARTIST NAME: PLUS!

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

The fact that people gather and enjoy themselves together. It’s a beautiful thing.

2. What should we expect from your live show?

For us to bring it and put on the best show we can.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

We all live on the great city of Montreal but none of us are from there.

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

I would write for Fantastic Mr. Fox and it would sound like Paul McCartney’s album Ram.

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

Bruce because I love his cover of Jersey Girl. (Sorry Neil, I know you’re Canadian)

ARTIST NAME: LINX

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

Giving artists with a small or no team the chance to be seen and have fun!

2. What should we expect from your live show?

A show, not just a music play, but a visual, a mix of feelings, energy, and the discovery of a genre you’re less familiar with.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

We come from different backgrounds, music genres, and that’s what makes us unique. The duo, bestfriends, have a side job together to fund their next album. The singers, a middle eastern in the lgbtq community is a director, electric tech and an actress, which helped make these music videos. The drummer is not just a drummer, but a main composer and a synth master!

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

John Wick, with cinematography elements, industrial and some heavier parts in selective scenes. A mix of Nine Inch Nails tracks in the latest TRON movie, with heavier and dynamic distorted elements.

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

Bruce Springsteen. For the fun on stage and the ol’ rock and roll vibes that LINX brings in songs like “One Step”.

ARTIST NAME: JACKIE ART

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

Getting to meet & connect with different artists is definitely my favourite thing. I always enjoy learning new stories and hearing new unique sounds. NXNE brings together some of the best of the best when it comes to music, and it’s thrilling to be around.

2. What should we expect from your live show?

Definitely energy. I dedicate my all into every second I’m performing. Whether it’s a song or an entire mixtape. I love to engage with the crowd and really turn up with them. I always wanna leave the stage with energy at a maximum.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

My artist name is Jackie Art. However, no one has ever asked me if it stands for anything. And it does. So unless you guys post these responses, no one will still ever know ahahah.

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

I would do Baby Driver. The slurry of songs would be giving ecstatic bass lines and fast-paced lyricism, then switch to pop-rap, catchy hooks, and 808s and fade away with some neo-soul-infused bars to ride the sunset into with bae.

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

Neil Young. He’s Canadian, and I’m with that.

ARTIST NAME: DRUNK CAT

1. What’s your favourite thing about a festival like NXNE?

NXNE is our group’s first festival appearance and our favourite thing about it is being able to showcase what we love doing so much to a larger audience. We are looking forward to connecting with industry professionals and other artists!

2. What should we expect from your live show?

Live shows are where we shine, listening to us on streaming is a whole different experience. Our audience can expect to participate and feel included in the performance, our shows are chaos in its most enjoyable form. On stage, we join forces with jazz-fusion band Crashlanders to reshape our songs into something wild and alive. A blur of sweat, sound, and connection that leaves every crowd wanting more.

3. Tell us something we probably don’t know about your band.

Our debut album was created accidentally. Each member of our group is from a different region of Canada and we all were able to meet each other in the beautiful city of Montreal, where we organically started making music together for fun. After an unforgettable summer of studio sessions we sat back and went damn… we have something here. We are a powerhouse and a testament to what 4 friends can accomplish , everything we do is completely self funded and done with little to no budget.

4. If you could write the soundtrack for any existing film (from any decade) which film would you choose and what would the songs sound like?

We would love to have written the soundtrack to mid 90’s, creating a coming of age, rebel-esque, misfit-like soundtrack. With songs that ebb and flow through different emotions of anger, longing, solitude and excitement. We do best with capturing moments of emotion and alchemizing them into songs.

5. Would you rather open for Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, and why?

Neither, they could open for us one day tho.

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