Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara urges kindness, civility to end political division
TORONTO - Pop musician Sara Quin says social media has 'tragically torn the world to shreds' in recent years, and it's time people consider ways to reestablish a more positive sense of community.
The Calgary-raised performer, who's part of the duo Tegan and Sara, says while she's certain some have found 'beautiful connection online,' she fears it's done more to 'ruin the world' and stoke political divisions.
Quin was joined by her twin sister Tegan at Toronto's Departure Festival for a conversation about the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which they created in 2016 after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The foundation offers financial support to grassroots and community-based organizations such as youth summer camps, and helped create an LGBTQ+ health care directory.
The sisters say they want to back initiatives that help build stronger communities, something that's become even more important to them in their mid-40s.
Sara Quin says she used to subscribe to the mindset that it was better to 'silence, shun or push out' people who didn't agree with her views, but she found it only left her feeling isolated.
'We have got to be willing to listen to each other, make space for ideas and opinions that don't line up with ours, and figure out if there's a consensus,' she said Wednesday.
'I just want to see people be civil with each other,' she added.
'I don't want to see politicians dismissing, chastising and brutalizing each other for fun, likes (or) bits on the internet. I just want to see people be kinder.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
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Ridin' with Cuco at Dodger Stadium
By the time Cuco arrived at Dodger Stadium on a recent Tuesday evening, thousands of fans were already lined up outside the venue's gates, waiting to be let in. Though the matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks wouldn't begin for another two hours, these Doyer diehards made their way to Chavez Ravine early to catch the pre-game festivities. It was Mexican Heritage Night, and the team had plenty of entertainment planned for the fanbase that Fernando Valenzuela built: a mini-concert by the legendary La Original Banda el Limón de Salvador Lizárraga; a lucha libre exhibition; and the throwing of the ceremonial first pitch by Chavo Guerrero Jr., scion of the storied Mexican American Guerrero wrestling clan. To complete this hodgepodge of a cultural celebration, the Dodgers also asked Cuco to sing the national anthem, a fitting invitation given that the 26-year-old Inglewood-born and Hawthorne-raised artist, whose real name is Omar Banos, had just put out 'Ridin'' (released May 9 via Interscope Records). The LP, his third, is an 11-track gem of L.A. Mexican Americana dripping with the ageless sounds of Chicano soul. Donning a team cap, a long white tee, black shorts, Dodger blue Nike SB Dunk Lows and his trademark glasses, Cuco walked into the stadium entrance reserved for suite-level ticketholders accompanied by his manager and a social content creator. Despite a heat wave that raised that day's temperatures into the high 80s, a black Dodgers windbreaker that he planned to wear later in the evening hung around his neck. Pinned to it was a button that contained a portrait of Jaime Mendoza, his late maternal grandfather. 'My grandpa was big on the Dodgers,' Cuco said, noting that it was because of him that his whole family rooted for the Boys in Blue. As Cuco is escorted through the concrete bowels of Dodger Stadium by a pair of team publicists taking him to sound check, fans spot him and excitedly call out his name. Some even approach him for a selfie. When asked if he often gets recognized in public, the singer-songwriter chuckled. 'Yeah, if there's a lot of Latinos around,' he quipped. 'I'm always going to say yes to a photo. I'm never going to turn them down.' It's cliché for any artist to say that they'd be nothing without their fans, but this adage rings particularly true when it comes to Cuco. His loyal supporters, dubbed the "Cuco Puffs," turned a former precocious marching band geek into a bonafide indie pop star. He began his career in the mid-2010s by uploading Spanglish lo-fi love songs recorded in his childhood bedroom to Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Dreamy, synth-heavy ballads like "Lover Is a Day" (off of his first mixtape, 2016's "Wannabewithu") and "Lo Que Siento" (released as a single in 2017) quickly connected with countless bicultural, Gen Z Latinos, racking up millions of streams in the process. By the time Cuco started performing at backyard shows, he had packed crowds singing every lyric back at him. Such was the hype around him that several labels got into a two-year bidding war to sign the unlikely teen idol with a ready-made fan base. 'I don't need a label. The labels mostly need me,' Cuco told The Times in 2017. 'Like, in no cocky way, the reality of it is labels stay up because of the artists.' When Interscope finally won out in 2019, it was on the artist's terms — Cuco inked a seven-figure deal that allowed him to retain ownership of his music and gave him the creative freedom to do what he wanted. He was 20 at the time. 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"Sitting in the Corner," recorded with música Mexicana crooner Adriel Favela and country singer Kacey Musgraves, is a space pop ranchera that yearns for a lover who has left. "It's the vibe, man," he says of the musicians he chooses to work with. "It's not really about artists being big or not. It's just if I get along with them and they have cool ideas and it aligns with my personality." With 'Ridin',' Cuco delivers his most mature album to date. Produced by Thomas Brenneck (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse), the record is a neo-Chicano soul instant classic that pays tribute to the likes of Brenton Wood, Al Green and Smokey Robinson — soul and R&B artists from the '60s and '70s whose music has been adopted by lowrider and Chicano culture — all while maintaining that distinct Cuco sound, a perfect marriage between the old and the new. 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"Ridin'" is an album of the summer contender for anyone whose idea of summer means hanging out at the beach with all your friends — this exact scenario describes the music video for the album's first single, "My 45," which stars Mexican American actress Xochitl Gomez as a femme fatale. And while the LP is teeming with enough vehicular references to make Bruce Springsteen jealous (the cover shows Cuco sitting on top of his 1989 Toyota Supra), Cuco says "Ridin'" isn't strictly meant for the car. 'I'm hoping that ["Ridin'"] is something that's interpreted however the listener chooses to interpret it, whether they're ridin' in your car, ridin' for somebody or just ridin' through life,' he says. After sound check, Cuco made his way back to the suite level to wait for the rest of his party to arrive, which included his parents, Adolfo Banos and Irma Mendoza. The only child of immigrants, the artist has made it a point to share his success with them. Forgoing wearing anything in Dodger blue, the elder Banos donned a hoodie from his son's latest tour. Mendoza showed up wearing a team hat and a striped shirt. Affixed to it was a button identical to her son's. It was her idea; she had made them the night before. As it got closer to game time, the singer was ushered down to the field once again. It was showtime. 'Please stand and remove your hats for the singing of the national anthem,' the stadium announcer said over the P.A. system. 'Joining us today is Cuco, indie pop star from Hawthorne!' Cuco took a beat before singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in his patented soft and mellow voice. His parents stood approximately 20 feet away, beaming with pride. After it was all over, the singer quickly made his way to them, and was met with smiles and hugs. A minute later, a production assistant grabs Cuco for his final obligation of the night. He's handed a microphone and is escorted back to where he performed the national anthem. 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Ridin' with Cuco at Dodger Stadium
By the time Cuco arrived at Dodger Stadium on a recent Tuesday evening, thousands of fans were already lined up outside the venue's gates, waiting to be let in. Though the matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks wouldn't begin for another two hours, these Doyer diehards made their way to Chavez Ravine early to catch the pre-game festivities. It was Mexican Heritage Night, and the team had plenty of entertainment planned for the fanbase that Fernando Valenzuela built: a mini-concert by the legendary La Original Banda el Limón de Salvador Lizárraga; a lucha libre exhibition; and the throwing of the ceremonial first pitch by Chavo Guerrero Jr., scion of the storied Mexican American Guerrero wrestling clan. To complete this hodgepodge of a cultural celebration, the Dodgers also asked Cuco to sing the national anthem, a fitting invitation given that the 26-year-old Inglewood-born and Hawthorne-raised artist, whose real name is Omar Banos, had just put out 'Ridin'' (released May 9 via Interscope Records). The LP, his third, is an 11-track gem of L.A. Mexican Americana dripping with the ageless sounds of Chicano soul. Donning a team cap, a long white tee, black shorts, Dodger blue Nike SB Dunk Lows and his trademark glasses, Cuco walked into the stadium entrance reserved for suite-level ticketholders accompanied by his manager and a social content creator. Despite a heat wave that raised that day's temperatures into the high 80s, a black Dodgers windbreaker that he planned to wear later in the evening hung around his neck. Pinned to it was a button that contained a portrait of Jaime Mendoza, his late maternal grandfather. 'My grandpa was big on the Dodgers,' Cuco said, noting that it was because of him that his whole family rooted for the Boys in Blue. As Cuco is escorted through the concrete bowels of Dodger Stadium by a pair of team publicists taking him to sound check, fans spot him and excitedly call out his name. Some even approach him for a selfie. When asked if he often gets recognized in public, the singer-songwriter chuckled. 'Yeah, if there's a lot of Latinos around,' he quipped. 'I'm always going to say yes to a photo. I'm never going to turn them down.' It's cliché for any artist to say that they'd be nothing without their fans, but this adage rings particularly true when it comes to Cuco. His loyal supporters, dubbed the 'Cuco Puffs,' turned a former precocious marching band geek into a bonafide indie pop star. He began his career in the mid-2010s by uploading Spanglish lo-fi love songs recorded in his childhood bedroom to Soundcloud and Bandcamp. 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That summer, he released his debut album, 'Para Mi,' a notable first effort that paired a blissful sound — inspired by a slew of genres, including psychedelic rock, bossa nova, pop and quiet storm R&B — with lyrics that touched on loneliness and substance abuse ('Take this and fly away till the substance numbs the pain,' he sings in 'Ego Death in Thailand'). The album's first single, 'Hydrocodone,' is a nod to the pain medication he was on after being involved in a near-fatal car crash while out on tour in 2018. This March, Cuco celebrated three years of sobriety. The year 2022 saw the release of 'Fantasy Gateway,' an ambitious concept album heavily inspired by psych rockers Tame Impala that takes the listener to another dimension, featuring notable collaborations with artists like Mexico's indie darling Bratty and fellow sadboi romántico DannyLux. 'Sitting in the Corner,' recorded with música Mexicana crooner Adriel Favela and country singer Kacey Musgraves, is a space pop ranchera that yearns for a lover who has left. 'It's the vibe, man,' he says of the musicians he chooses to work with. 'It's not really about artists being big or not. It's just if I get along with them and they have cool ideas and it aligns with my personality.' With 'Ridin',' Cuco delivers his most mature album to date. Produced by Thomas Brenneck (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse), the record is a neo-Chicano soul instant classic that pays tribute to the likes of Brenton Wood, Al Green and Smokey Robinson — soul and R&B artists from the '60s and '70s whose music has been adopted by lowrider and Chicano culture — all while maintaining that distinct Cuco sound, a perfect marriage between the old and the new. The album's opener, 'ICNBYH' (an abbrevation of 'I Could Never Break Your Heart'), would be at home in an 'East Side Story' mixtape compilation. Cuco's psychedelia roots are most apparent in songs like 'Ridin',' a track that feels like you're cruising on a spaceship down Whittier Boulevard. 'I couldn't really try to make something that sounded exactly like [Chicano soul]. I was hoping to embody that timelessness, but I had to work in the most authentic way possible so that it felt that way,' he said. 'I wanted to go for more natural sounds with the soul sound, but I think it's just inevitable for me sometimes. I'm just going to end up doing some psychedelic parts with the music because that's what I've always been.' 'Ridin'' is an album of the summer contender for anyone whose idea of summer means hanging out at the beach with all your friends — this exact scenario describes the music video for the album's first single, 'My 45,' which stars Mexican American actress Xochitl Gomez as a femme fatale. And while the LP is teeming with enough vehicular references to make Bruce Springsteen jealous (the cover shows Cuco sitting on top of his 1989 Toyota Supra), Cuco says 'Ridin'' isn't strictly meant for the car. 'I'm hoping that ['Ridin''] is something that's interpreted however the listener chooses to interpret it, whether they're ridin' in your car, ridin' for somebody or just ridin' through life,' he says. After sound check, Cuco made his way back to the suite level to wait for the rest of his party to arrive, which included his parents, Adolfo Banos and Irma Mendoza. The only child of immigrants, the artist has made it a point to share his success with them. Forgoing wearing anything in Dodger blue, the elder Banos donned a hoodie from his son's latest tour. Mendoza showed up wearing a team hat and a striped shirt. Affixed to it was a button identical to her son's. It was her idea; she had made them the night before. As it got closer to game time, the singer was ushered down to the field once again. It was showtime. 'Please stand and remove your hats for the singing of the national anthem,' the stadium announcer said over the P.A. system. 'Joining us today is Cuco, indie pop star from Hawthorne!' Cuco took a beat before singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in his patented soft and mellow voice. His parents stood approximately 20 feet away, beaming with pride. After it was all over, the singer quickly made his way to them, and was met with smiles and hugs. A minute later, a production assistant grabs Cuco for his final obligation of the night. He's handed a microphone and is escorted back to where he performed the national anthem. He's met by a congregation of luchadores who will act as a chorus as he delivers the phrase popularized by the legendary broadcaster Vin Scully — 'It's time for Dodger baseball!' In the fall, Cuco will go on a nationwide tour to promote the album — he'll be performing at the Greek Theatre on Sept. 15. But right now it's summer and he's ridin' with his loved ones, about to watch a game the Dodgers will end up winning 4-3 in extra innings.
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2 days ago
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Flowers, confetti, cheers as Guillaume Côté takes last bow with National Ballet
TORONTO - Ballet star Guillaume Côté has taken his last bow with the National Ballet of Canada. The celebrated principal dancer brought his palms to his heart and smiled as confetti and flowers rained onto the stage following a farewell show Thursday. Côté was saluted with an eight-minute standing ovation after the career celebration, which included his multimedia piece 'Grand Mirage' and a restaging of 'Bolero.' The Quebec-born dancer wraps a 26-year career with the Toronto company that saw him star in most of the biggest classical and contemporary roles including Romeo, Prince Charming and Prince Siegfried. He became a principal dancer in 2004 and has performed as a guest artist for major ballet companies in cities including Milan, London, New York, St. Petersburg and Hamburg. Also a choreographer, musician and composer, Côté now focuses on his dance company Côté Danse, which brings its show 'Burn Baby, Burn' to Toronto's Bluma Appel Theatre this weekend and Germany in July. He founded the company in 2021 and is also artistic director of a summer dance festival in Quebec known as Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur. – With files from Angelina Havaris This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
