Tanika Charles interview on Colourful Radio 29-May-2022
Toronto Soul/R&B powerhouse Tanika Charles’ third studio album Papillon de Nuit: The Night Butterfly available everywhere April 8th, 2022. Featuring the songs “Different Morning”, “Frustrated”, “Hold Me (Like a Grudge)” and “Rent Free”. With production from Safe Spaceship Records, Todd “HiFiLo Pentney, Kevin Henkel and Jesse Bear.
With guest appearances from Toronto rapper DijahSB and multi-disciplinary artist, Khari McClelland, the album was composed and recorded while in and out of lockdowns. Papillon de Nuit is anchored in growth and maturity, the inspiration came from an unlikely source, a creature that soars after the sun sets, but often goes unnoticed until the light shines on it. It is the “papillon de nuit” to some, but drably referred to as a moth by others, revealing a bias in language alone
“I always thought it was a strange insect. Once while in Paris, a friend swatted at one and I asked: ‘Was that a moth?’. I was told: ‘No, that’s a papillon de nuit.’ I thought that was the most beautiful description for this otherwise overlooked creature. When I later learned of the symbolism associated with it, I felt that really spoke to both my own situation and also what we’ve all been going through.”