2026 has been a busy year for Montréal-based JOVM mainstay Naomi: She has continued to be wildly prolific while entering a bold new era working with French producer Elior Chaudagne, who produced "Univers." Following the success of "Univers," the French Canadian artist returns with "Hershey Kiss," which features Anglophone Montréal-based emcee SLM (pronounced "SLIM"). Built around a propulsive, dance-floor filling calypso-styled riddim, "Hershey Kiss" is a sultry, club banger that's rooted in Naomi and SLM's swaggering and defiant, girlboss energy. "Hershey Kiss" can be trace its origins a back a little bit: Elior Chaudagne, had been pitching the Montréal-based artist an energetic beat inspired by bouyon, a Caribbean music genre that's currently red hot right now. However, Naomi hadn't feel confident enough to tackle the genre while adding her own touch -- until SLM joined her in the studio. The two Montréal-based artist's collaboration, much like the song goes back a little bit: Naomi and SLM have long moved around in the same circles. But despite sharing similar sociocultural references and background -- Naomi has Haitian and Guyanese roots; SLM is Guyanese. But they hadn't worked together until "Hershey Kiss." Their initial artistic encounter felt natural -- to the point of being seemingly symbiotic. Each artist spontaneously wrote their lyrics on the spot in a matter of a few minutes and recorded their part in practically a single take, without retouching or re-dubs. Throughout the song, they play with the conventions of bouyon with references to the ballroom scene -- in both sound and energy. And as a result, there's a raunchy, uninhibited and cheekily ribald energy to the proceedings. Directed by Wynn Holmes and Naomi Hilaire, the accompanying video was shot at the Funhub Arcade on Cathcart Street in Downtown Montréal. The video drops the viewer into a sweaty and sultry party featuring twenty dancers performing choreography created by Naomi and Raphaël Gagnon. The video captures the raunchy energy of the song.

Rising Paris-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and JOVM mainstay Thaïs has received attention across the Francophone music world and elsewhere for an atmospheric and delicate pop sound, which perfectly compliments her ethereal delivery. 2022 was a breakthrough year for the JOVM mainstay: She signed with Bravo Musique, who released her highly anticipated full-length debut, Tout est parfait. The following years have been busy for the rising French Canadian artist: She has opened for KYO, M, Arianne Moffatt, Dumas and Suzane while working on her Blaise Borboën and Thaïs co-produced sophomore album Personne, which was released earlier this year. Described by the JOVM mainstay as "extroverted music for introverts," Personne's material are energetic tracks that are meant to lead towards self-affirmation while allowing listeners to delve deeper into her universe. The album features "Taxi," a slickly produced, dance floor friendly bop that to my years, sounds as though it were inspired by the likes of Robyn. The Paris-born, Montréal-based JOVM mainstay recently reworked album single "MTL-Paris." The album version is simultaneously atmospheric and introspective before slowly morphing into much more dance floor territory, seemingly reflecting a narrator, who's growing in self-assuredness and confidence. "MTL-Paris V2" is a much more upbeat, dance floor friendly bop from the jump, turning the song from a tale of growing confidence, to one of boldly liberating oneself -- with the realization that you've only got one life to live. For the JOVM mainstay, reworking her own work is a creative exercise that allows her to reveal other possible, sometimes even latent facets to her material -- all while retaining the "extroverted music for introverts" concept of the album.

Montréal-based multi-disciplinary artist, singer/songwriter, pop artist and JOVM mainstay Naomi's sophomore album Un coin sombre pour danser was released last October through Bravo Musique. The album is an invitation to the listener to dive into the night, to forget your worries, to rediscover yourself and dance to songs that talk about love, challenges and self-reflection. “For me, this album is a story of femininity and an alter-ego: the woman who exists in the eyes of others and the one who exists towards oneself,” Naomi explains.

Rising Paris-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and JOVM mainstay Thaïs specializes in an atmospheric and delicate pop sound, which compliments her ethereal delivery. Thematically, her work typically focuses on melancholy, loneliness and dysfunctional, confusing, heartbreaking love. Now, if you've been frequenting this site over the past handful of years, you may recall that 2022 was a breakthrough year for the JOVM mainstay: She signed with Bravo Musique, who released her highly anticipated full-length debut, Tout est parfait. Since then the French Canadian artist has had busy couple of years: She has expanded upon her growing profile, opening for KYO, M, Arianne Moffatt, Dumas and Suzane while working on her Blaise Borboën and Thaïs co-produced sophomore album Personne. The album also features contributions from La Faune's multi-instrumentalist Jay Essiambre and bassist Émile Farley. Slated for an April 4, 2025 release, the rising JOVM mainstay's sophomore album will reportedly be "extroverted music for introverts" -- energetic tracks that lead towards self-affirmation while allowing listeners to delve deeper into her universe. Personne's fourth single "Taxi" is a slickly produced, dance floor friendly bop that sounds as though it were inspired by Robyn. And while arguably being the most club ready songs of her growing catalog, the song is anchored by her penchant for pairing introspective lyrics with remarkably catchy hooks. The song's narrator is on her way back from a night out, sitting in the backseat of the titular taxi, when she's caught the ghost of a past relationship -- through a favorite song or a passing by a place that reminds of her this past lover or something along those lines. Directed by Alexis Boudrias, the accompanying video introduces us to a bruised and battered Thaïs waking up from some sort of accident and then performing the song in a bare studio. We also see the rising French-Canadian heading to a party and when she arrives, quickly realizes that she doesn't belong. She makes an attempt to leave and winds up in the studio, where she presumably feels more like herself.