Sled Island Day Five: CJSW Live with Sukha Never Dies
By Reyam Jamaleddine, June 26 2024—
Sukha Never Dies is a Bangladeshi descendant born in Saudi Arabia. Growing up segregated in Saudi Arabia and being raised in Canada during the War on Terror, Sukha describes how being different in her surroundings served as a catalyst for her distinct musical style. Reference points for her music are Rico Nasty, BIA and Doja Cat, creating a perfect blend amongst the South Asian and heavy metal influences in her songs. Her genre of music sits in an experimental blend of trap music, hip-hop and R&B.
CJSW featured this artist as part of their Sonic Cycles show. Sukha Never Dies is the first artist to perform live for this show. For this year’s Sled Island festival, she performed at Modern Love on Saturday and has previously performed in Calgary twice.
During the CJSW set the first track that was performed was “Back of My Mind”. This song is a track found in Sukha’s 2020 mixtape The Ugly Brown Girl. This melancholic song presents Sukha’s vocal ability and range. Her vocals are the forefront of this song with the instrumental following along, and her vocal performance in this song is powerful and attention grabbing.
The second track played in this set is “Ice Cold”. This song is also featured in The Ugly Brown Girl mixtape. It presents a mix of trap music and R&B styles and showcases the artist’s ability to experiment with different musical genres. The production is polished and with a layered instrumental that makes it an intricate and intriguing piece.
Her most popular track was also played in this set. “Goddess” is a single also featured on The Ugly Brown Girl mixtape. This song presents Sukha’s rapping ability performed over a dominant South Asian instrumental. It’s bursting with self-affirmation and confidence as it overlays a catchy beat. The single has a music video filmed in Cape Town that displays Sukha’s South Asian inspired outfits. “Goddess” definitely leaves a lasting impression, making it an excellent introduction to what can be expected from Sukha’s music.
Although this set ran for just under thirty minutes, the new and unique style of music made every minute intriguing. Sukha has taken an in-depth look at her interests and carefully placed them into small masterpieces that display so much more than just a song. Not only that but her music represents a story, a culture and the experimental nature of all the genres and subgenres that this artist navigates. The appreciation for her own roots and background in her music, fashion and overall artist style further establishes this artist as an effective and appealing performer. Her music demands attention, making this set list a must-hear for any Sled Island attendees or for anyone looking for new unique and bold music to listen to.
To learn more about CJSW, visit their website.