By Caelan Monkman
Third-year Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) professional music student Carina Bianchini—who performs using just her first name—had people dancing during her concert at Sneaky Dee’s last Saturday.
Carina was the show’s headlining act, with TMU student musicians Charlotte Huang and Christina Kennedy—as well as Toronto singer-songwriter Astraleazar—opening for her.
Carina’s show—aptly named Pink Patty’s Day—saw her dressed head-to-toe in her usual rosy regalia, as well as a pair of green clover-shaped sunglasses. Her instantly recognizable monochromatic attire stood out against the backdrop of Sneaky Dee’s graffiti-covered walls.
Attributing her sense of style to a childhood steeped in Barbie movies and Hello Kitty, Carina said she loves to take inspiration from all facets of her life when shaping herself as an artist.
“It’s just an expression of who I am on the inside and of who I’ve been ever since I was a little girl,” Carina said. “I’ve always loved super colourful things and colourful outfits, very pink and girly.”
“I do these shows just to make people happy and have them just forget about [their] worries for a little bit”
As for her love of the arts, Carina credited much of that passion to her father Carlo Bianchini, who is also a Toronto musician. The two frequently perform together with Carlo playing the guitar for Carina’s performances.
“I’ve been singing and dancing ever since I was two years old thanks to my father,” she said. “He taught me how to sing, he also has taught me piano and guitar as well.”
Carina’s other two bandmates are her close friends and fellow TMU professional music students, Evan Johnston and Catherine Carter.
“I don’t know what I’d do without them, honestly,” Carina said. “We’re really close friends, so we hang out outside of all of this and I’m super thankful for them.”
Also on stage were Jeanalle Suico and Emily Redford, dancers who performed original choreography alongside Carina for the majority of her set. Throughout the performance, they could regularly be heard encouraging the audience to dance along with them.
The performance included a number of well-executed covers, including Thundercat’s “Them Changes” and Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?” However, Carina and her band shone the brightest while singing her original songs.
One original was “Let Me Down”—a soon-to-be-released single that shows off Carina’s impressive vocal prowess. The track was produced by TMU professional music student Selah Weekes, who goes by the producer name ‘Selah You Did That?’
“It’s very funky, very pop,” Carina said. “In my opinion, the hook—the chorus—is very catchy, and I think Selah did a great job and I’m excited for it to come out.”
Carina has another performance coming up at Supermarket Bar & Variety on April 12 and is planning on releasing new music soon. But for her, what she looks forward to most is getting to engage with the audience during every performance.
“I’m just hoping for everyone to dance with me [and] to have fun,” she said. “I do these shows just to make people happy and have them just forget about [their] worries for a little bit.”
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