Latest news with #Bado
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter's music imbued with the richness of her culture
For Kelly Bado, The Forks has lived up to its historic reputation as a gathering place. 'It felt to me like all of Winnipeg was here. From the first year I came here, I liked this place,' says the multilingual singer-songwriter. Born in Abidjan, a seaside city in southeastern Côte d'Ivoire, Bado was in her early 20s when she moved to Manitoba in December 2007 to study at the Université de Saint-Boniface. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Kelly Bado spends a lot of time with her family at The Forks. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Kelly Bado spends a lot of time with her family at The Forks. The Forks was a short walk or bus ride from her dorm and it was easy to while away a weekend exploring the outdoor trails and indoor markets with friends and strangers. It's where Bado, a keen observer of the world around her, forged a sense of camaraderie with her new city — with its landscape, its history and its people. And even though she's since moved to North Kildonan, her heart remains firmly attached to the riverside landmark. 'I haven't seen anything that compares. I just love the way everything is scattered here, the way they built it — every curve, every turn. It really feels like I grew up here. I moved, but it still feels like my first home,' she says. These days, she sees The Forks through new eyes. As often as they can, Bado and her husband bring their sons, ages three and five, for dinner and a romp around the Parks Canada Playground with her sister and nephew. The visit usually takes place on a Friday evening, after work and daycare. A recurring series in which the Free Press meets notable Manitobans in their favourite places. Kelly Bado, singer-songwriter Parks Canada Playground at The Forks Food is the first order of business to ensure the kids are fuelled for the hours ahead. Bado — a big fan of seafood — and the boys will head to Fergie's Fish 'n Chips for a fillet of cod or halibut (the deep-fried batter gingerly removed), while her husband waits in line at Nuburger. From the market, the family walks along the treed gravel pathway — past the Oodena Celebration Circle and the Children's Museum — to the busy playground on the eastern edge of the grounds. 'We come here and then play until everybody's tired, which usually doesn't happen. We have to cut it off,' Bado says with a laugh. It's a weekday morning and she's seated on a picnic table next to the park's waterless splash pad. The air is filled with giddy shrieks from a group of school-aged kids zipping around the metal teepee and taking turns traversing the nearby structure. When she's here with family, Bado likes to watch her outdoor-loving kids interacting with others. 'My sons used to be shy, but now they're more talkative to other kids, people they meet. It's nice to see them change or evolve into whoever they're going to be,' she says. She especially loves eavesdropping on their unfiltered conversations. 'I do envy that. When you're an adult, you start overthinking everything. I really enjoy playing with them or watching them because it takes me out of my mind for a bit,' she says. The difficult balance between parenthood and a jet-setting music career is top of mind at the moment. Bado — who's fresh off a week in Ottawa and Montreal — released her second full-length album, Belles mes, in May and is preparing to head out on a Canadian tour this summer, followed by a trip to perform at Expo 2025 in Japan. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Kelly Bado says her voice has become moodier and deeper over the years. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Kelly Bado says her voice has become moodier and deeper over the years. In speaking with other musician parents, she's realized there's no solution to the necessary leaving, but those at home have to trump everything else. 'Music is volatile: one day you're great, and then the other day you might lose your voice,' she says. 'But in the best world, when you have a family, friends, people you can count on, you hope they would stay with you, even if your voice was gone.' Since the release of her debut EP, Entre Deux, in 2016 and her award-winning album, Hey Terre, in 2020, Bado has become a more confident songwriter and self-promoter. She's signed with Winnipeg's Odd Doll Records and has racked up accolades, receiving nominations last week for francophone and global artist of the year from the Western Canadian Music Awards. As her career has reached new heights, the Afro-pop and soul singer's vocals have shifted noticeably over the past decade, taking on a deeper, moodier quality than was apparent in her earlier work. It's an inadvertent change that's taken some getting used to. 'I was spending a lot of time trying to understand why it sounds different, but I don't think I should try to find a reason behind it. I just have to grow with it, observe every new chapter, see what it becomes,' she says. Belles mes, which translates to 'good people,' is about exactly that: human beings, their relationships with each other and the world around them. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the title track focuses on the unsung heroes who made sacrifices for and lifted up their communities. Parce qu'on s'aime ('Because we love each other') follows a similar train of thought and focuses on making peace in difficult relationships for the greater good. The song features a collaboration with her late mother, who provided lyrical translations in Attié — Bado's first language and the traditional tongue of her family's village of Akoupé. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Singer-songwriter Kelly Bado is embarking on a Canadian tour this summer. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Singer-songwriter Kelly Bado is embarking on a Canadian tour this summer. Bado, who studied business administration in university and never intended to become a professional musician, credits her mom for fostering a love of singing early on. 'She was a choir girl and so was my grandmother, it was a lineage of choir people, and I learned my singing in choirs,' says Bado, who continues the choral tradition at Springs Church, another place she's found community and spiritual connection in Winnipeg. When she was in Côte d'Ivoire last year dealing with family affairs, Bado hired a local videographer to shoot a music video for Jamais oublier ('Never forget') — the jubilant opening track to Belles mes, which celebrates her African birthplace. The video and song, sung in English and French, is peppered with visuals of white sand beaches, palm trees and fresh tropical fruit. 'We were just laughing the whole time and eating coconuts — I miss coconut,' she says of the video, filmed with her sister and cousin. 'Ivory is in my DNA. For me, (this song) really felt like all my childhood, everything I've learned, I don't want to forget it because it makes me who I am.' While Africa is never far from her mind, the Canadian Prairies have become an equally important setting for her story. She's looking forward to her future growth and savouring the moments spent at home before setting out on tour — likely with a few visits to The Forks. Bado performs in Winnipeg on June 27 at The Toad in the Hole (155 Osborne St.) during the inaugural Village Music Fest. Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Los Angeles Times
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Costa Mesa rallies past Ocean View, extends streak to five
The Costa Mesa girls' basketball team has become a stampede that the rest of the Orange Coast League doesn't want to see at the moment. Junior forward Leilani Quero had 22 points to pace the Mustangs in a 50-36 win over Ocean View on Tuesday at home. Costa Mesa (12-13, 5-2 in the Orange Coast League) ran its winning streak to five games, a stretch that has seen the Mustangs beat all of their competitors in the league. The streak began with a narrow 57-54 win over Westminster (6-16, 2-4) to cap the first half of league play, and it also featured a 36-32 win over league-leading Laguna Hills (20-4, 6-1). Junior guard Myah Martinez provided eight points, two assists and two steals, and sophomore forward Aaliyah Terry had seven points and eight rebounds, as Costa Mesa earned a split of its home-and-home set with Ocean View (10-16, 3-3). 'This league is very open,' Costa Mesa coach Zedric McKee said. 'A lot of good teams there, from Laguna Hills all the way down to Garden Grove. … I would say our girls are really hungry. They want the win. It's been years since we've gone to a playoff, so everybody this year, they want to make a difference.' Junior guard Emi Kamikihara had six points and seven rebounds, and junior wing Yanelly Martinez chipped in with six points and five rebounds. Costa Mesa did not have a senior in the starting lineup, but center Ariana Mendoza produced 10 rebounds and two assists off the bench on the Mustangs' senior night. 'Ari has been popping off ever since the second half of our league,' McKee said. 'She's been averaging those eight-to-10 rebounds. I'm really happy for her, especially [with her] not starting today, but she understood where we're going in life and where we're trying to go in this program, so she's like, 'OK, cool. I'm going to come off the bench and finish business.'' Outside of a three-pointer from the top of the key by Ocean View leading scorer Angelina Bado on the opening possession, the offenses had an ice-cold start. The Seahawks held a 7-6 lead after the first quarter. Ocean View took its largest lead at 24-17 midway through the third quarter on back-to-back baskets by Dayana Quinonez, the assists going to Bado and Guadalupe Fuentes. Quero had six points and Myah Martinez added five points over the final four minutes of the third quarter, and Costa Mesa drew even with Ocean View, 28-28, entering the fourth quarter. Costa Mesa then outscored Ocean View, 22-8, over the final period. 'Obviously, you want to achieve CIF, like all of it,' Quero said. 'You want to take it all home, but I think it's important to take one game at a time, so we're focused on our next game, and then after that, we'll see what comes and then focus on that.' Bado scored 21 points to go with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Natalia Candelario contributed four points, seven rebounds and two steals. Lizeth Ayona had two points and eight rebounds, but she was largely sidelined in the second half after picking up four fouls before halftime. Ocean View would have controlled its own destiny toward a share of the league championship with a win, as the Seahawks close the season at Laguna Hills on Monday, Feb. 3. 'We wanted to compete for the league championship, and I think we could have,' Ocean View coach Ryan Hasegawa said. 'I think this group, when playing together and trusting each other, I think we have all the ability to compete, so I just think we fell short tonight.' Orange Coast League Costa Mesa 50, Ocean View 36 SCORE BY QUARTERS Ocean View 7 - 13 - 8 - 8 — 36 Costa Mesa 6 - 11 - 11 - 22 — 50 OV — Bado 21, Candelario 4, Quinonez 4, Guerrero 3, Ayona 2, G. Fuentes 2. 3-pt. goals — Bado 1, Guerrero 1. Fouled out — Ayona. Technicals — None. CM — Quero 22, M. Martinez 8, Terry 7, Kamikihara 6, Y. Martinez 6, Mendoza 1. 3-pt. goals — M. Martinez 1, Terry 1. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
