Juno Award-winning musician G.R. Gritt recently released a single, “Turnin’ It Up,” from their upcoming sophomore album “Prisms.”
You can give the track a listen below:
“Turnin’ It Up” is “about being in love with more than one person and more than one gender and not needing to tone down your queerness for anyone, and serves as a reminder of the importance of celebrating Pride,” said a press release.
“It’s about opening yourself up to feel all of it," explains Sudbury’s Gritt, a queer and two-spirited artist (who uses they/them pronouns).
“It’s about opening yourself up to feel all of it, to seeing and loving people as they are, and encouraging the people you are lusting after to lean into their feelings and fantasies! The very first line of the song proclaims ‘We Keep Turnin’ It Up!’”
The song also serves a reminder why Pride is celebrated.
”It's about being told to temper our queerness, as if it is inherently extreme,” they said.
“When society tells us to be smaller, to take up even less space, to dim our sparkle, to hide our shine, to shrink our fabulous, that’s when we need to do the opposite. If you think we are at our loudest and proudest right now, brace yourselves: we’re crankin’ up the heat, takin’ up space, and turnin’ up the music!”
Sudbury musicians Tessa Balaz and Petr Balaz have writing credits on the song along with Gritt.
“The lyrics for “Turnin’ It Up” came from kind of a carnal place!” said Tessa Balaz.
“I was thinking of the heteronormative lyrics that are normally in sexy songs or love songs. My mind immediately went to this love scene between this narrator and a woman and non-binary third person and the rush of the moment, describing how it feels.
“I feel like what I’ve observed in the people around me is we’re all looking for more connection, acceptance and freedom of expression without judgement and shame. This is what this song is about. We’re human! We’re alive! Let’s party!”
“I want listeners to feel sexy and free after hearing this track,” said Peter Balaz. “From the instrumentation, lyrical content, arrangement, and the beliefs of the people that wrote it, this track represents the freedom to express yourself, and going for what you want. “Some say keep it down, so we keep turning it up!”
“Turnin’ It Up” features: G.R. Gritt on Vocals, Drum Machine and Synthesizers; Tessa Balaz on Vocals; and Petr Balaz on Guitar.
The track was produced by G.R. Gritt and was recorded by G.R. Gritt on Robinson-Huron Treaty territory at Minotan Music, their home studio, except for the guitar which was recorded by Petr Balaz. It was mixed by Matt Weiwel at Deadpan Studios and mastered by Elisa Pangsaeng at CPS Mastering.
“Gritt pulls effortlessly from the past to create soulful futurisms,” said a press release. “Their music serves as a beacon of connection for all who come near it. Welcoming yet truthful, they reclaim space through songs that show that intersectional identity is expansive and not to be divided into parts. By exploring the emotional and cultural core of their heritage as a non-binary, queer, Indigenous artist they create new space and encourage others to do the same.”
You can catch Gritt at Northern Lights Festival July 7 with the Tessa Balaz Band, and July 15 at Sudbury Pride.
