SPILL FESTIVAL REVIEW: DEPARTURE FESTIVAL 2025

DEPARTURE FESTIVAL 2025

@ TORONTO, ONTARIO

MAY 6-11, 2025

Departure Fest (formerly known as Canadian Music Week), was held in Toronto from May 6 to 11. This festival is a trademark for the Canadian music scene, blending music, art, and comedy across some iconic Toronto venues. The heart of the festival was at Hotel X and attracted more than 3,000 people and featured a great lineup of keynote speakers, performances, and showcases.

The conferences were a big feature in this year’s Departure Fest with speakers such as Bryan Adams, Dallas Green, and Max Kerman. We were also treated to learning about experiences and advocacy in the music industry from FeFe Dobson and Tegan and Sara. Music showcases were packed with performers like Adam Melchor, Sadboi, and Death From Above 1979, while Dave Chappelle and Trevor Wallace made their statement with stand-up during the comedy showcase.

It was a jam-packed week filled with music and laughs but there was one performance in particular that deserves an honourable mention. There’s something special about a show that builds from the very first note. At Toronto’s Velvet Underground on May 9, that magic was in full effect thanks to opener Natasha Fisher and headliner Tia Wood, who delivered a night steeped in spirit, strength, and soul.

Ojibwe musician Natasha Fisher took the stage early but instantly made her presence known. Known for her rich vocal tone and emotional depth, she pulled the crowd in from the jump. Self-describing her music as Indigenous-influenced electronic pop R&B, she set a mood that was both grounding and infectious. Her performance felt intimate, like an invitation into her world, but never small. Instead, she filled the room with warmth and energy, earning cheers and applause with every note. It’s no small feat to get a room moving before the sun has even fully set, but Fisher made it look effortless.

By the time Tia Wood stepped onto the stage, the audience was already fully invested, and she took the energy to a whole new level. Dressed with the same elegance and natural flair that have made her a rising star to watch, the Cree-Salish pop .singer exuded poise from the start. But it was her voice that truly captivated as it was powerful, clear, and full of emotional nuance. Whether singing about identity, love, or healing, she delivered each lyric with intention, weaving stories that felt deeply personal but universally resonant.

Her set moved fluidly between genres of R&B, pop, and traditional influences. All found their place, but never lost its center. There’s a groundedness to Tia Wood’s performance that sets her apart: even in her most vulnerable moments, she carries herself with the calm assurance of someone who knows exactly who she is and why she’s on that stage.

Highlights included crowd favourites like “Sky High” and “Losing Game,” which had the audience singing along in unison. But it was the quieter moments that truly showcased her range. During one stripped-back ballad, the room fell into a hush so complete you could hear a pin drop. Until, of course, the final note rang out and the room erupted in applause. Between songs, Wood engaged the crowd with a gentle charm, offering words of gratitude and reflection that further deepened the connection between artist and audience.

Together, Natasha Fisher and Tia Wood created an atmosphere that felt less like a typical concert and more like a shared experience, a space where music met meaning, and everyone in the room was part of something larger than themselves. It was a night defined not by flashy spectacle but by raw talent, sincerity, and cultural pride.

In a city packed with live music options, this was the kind of show that reminded you why you go in the first place: to feel something real, to be moved, and to leave changed, even just a little.

(Photography by Mercedes Chircop)

Natasha Fisher Photos

Tia Wood Photos

Festival Links