From their chance meeting at an Oakville open mic in 2019 to capturing tens of millions of views across social media and gracing major festival stages across Canada, YASSiN & Sean Terrio have steadily built a reputation as one of the country’s most vibrant independent pop duos. Guided by an unshakable “do-it-yourself” work ethic and a flair for high-energy, soulful songwriting, the pair are stepping into their biggest season yet. Ahead of the release of their brand-new, 10-track album Learn & Apply on November 6th—and their annual Rock The Halls holiday benefit show at Toronto’s TD Music Hall on December 19th—we caught up with YASSiN & Sean Terrio to discuss their musical evolution, collaborative production process, and the passion for community that drives everything they do.
You both met back in 2019 at an open mic night at Oakville’s Moonshine Café. Looking back at how far you’ve come—amassing over 4 million streams and playing major festivals like Boots & Hearts and SuperCrawl—how has your indie “do it yourself” approach shaped your journey as a duo?
Sean here: In a lot of ways, it’s everything. As the “little guy” we’ve run into a lot of obstacles that we weren’t able to delegate to someone else or throw a bunch of money at. The process of learning how to overcome these obstacles; being creative with solutions, turning limitations into more opportunities and having to wear a boat load of different hats, has only made us stronger as individuals and as a unit. Furthermore, the path we’re on has intersected with those of many like-minded people with their own experiences to bring to the table. It can be really hard, no two ways about it, and one can easily bend, even break, under the pressure of expectations, goals and a competitive industry. At the same time, these pressures and moments may be turning you into the exact person who can handle heat and stay in the kitchen.
That being said, if a representative of an Intergalactic Entertainment entity teleported into my room right now with the promise of space-quadrillions, we would at least deliberate options; I mean, live long and prosper, right?
Your upcoming album, *Learn & Apply*, drops on November 6th via Symphonic. Can you share what fans can expect from this 10-track collection and how it explores themes of personal growth and transition?
Sean: I think folks will be happy to hear that the YST party kept the energy and fun right up there. With this album though, we definitely took our time 😉 looking inward and trying to dig a little deeper. I think we both agree that this album has a “growing pains” thread that runs through it. But worry not; we still aim to make you laugh, dance, sing, and be merry, while leaving some time to cry and just be ok with being.
YASSiN, you co-produced the album alongside award-winning producer Jacky Levare. What was that collaborative process like, and how did Jacky’s touch help bring your vision for the record to life?
Hello there! Working with Jacky has been a dream. He is this ball of electric energy mixed with creative fire and technical prowess. Before Jacky we only really ever worked with our good friend and Juno award winning engineer Kevin Dietz. I’ve been working with Kev since I was 18 though (I’m 33 now) so the way we work is more than comfortable. We decided to start something new with Jacky, not because the work with Kevin wasn’t working or anything like that, we just wanted a challenge to a process we became too cozy with. Jacky’s work flow and production vibe is so different from mine it really challenged everything about how I work, and I loved it. We brought out the best in each other and Jacky’s touch didn’t just bring my vision to life, but elevated it to places I wouldn’t have thought of.
The album balances high-energy pop with deep introspection, featuring singles like “HONEY B,” “Right Here Right Now,” and “Time Alone.” Can you tell us more about the focus track, “KISS MY FRIENDS,” and the COVID-19 isolation that inspired it?
Sean: Yeah for sure, I mean most of us were there (minus some 0-2 year olds, they’ll never get it, ugh); we know the lockdowns well, the initial fear of not knowing what is happening, let alone what we should do about it. The novelty of this time alone ;), some of the luxury of working from home, and then that one part where we didn’t know if or when it was ever going to end. Not so chill, at times. I think more than a few of us were chomping at the bit to get back to the lives we had before, outside with the people we love and things we love doing. “KISS MY FRIENDS” is kind of that moment in time. Maybe you felt like you were going to explode or you felt drained and down, so much so, you needed to A) DANCE and B) METAPHORICALLY AND/OR LITERALLY KISS YOUR FRIENDS. And that’s art.
You’re also bringing back your annual holiday benefit bash, *Rock The Halls*, to Toronto’s TD Music Hall on December 19th. Why is giving back—through 100% of proceeds supporting MusiCounts for school instruments and collecting food for the Daily Bread Food Bank—so central to your mission?
Yassin: I strongly feel if you have the ability to give back or give away in life, you should. It’s a core part of who we are. We are lucky enough to have a little bit of a platform to use our energy for good causes, to me that’s a great privilege and responsibility. We spend the rest of the year in this selfish pursuit of making cool stuff that we hope helps us achieve our dreams. The very least we can do is dedicate one show to organizations that do so much for so many people. These two organizations in particular rock HARD, we love what they do and we’re happy to have a good time on their behalf.
Over the years, you’ve earned incredible accolades, including placing 2nd in Canada’s Walk of Fame Emerging Musician Program and being selected for the RBC x Music’s First Up Program. How have milestones like these fueled your momentum as artists?
Sean: Looking back, each of these moments feel like nods from the universe. We’ve met some truly good people who have given us their time and their faith, helping us find that next step and to stay on track. All the incredible shows we’ve been able to play and
chances to prove ourselves; we were deemed by peers to be worthy of all that. That kind of validation sticks, piling up your evidence to use against the forces of self-doubt and spoOoOoky feelings. So now we try to live up to that standard and do right by the folks around us.
The PR has been great, too.
With the new album release and your upcoming holiday show, what are you most excited about for the next chapter of your career as one of Canada’s rising pop duos?
Yassin: Honestly, we’re getting really excited about album 3. Around this time when we had our first album coming out, we were creatively lost and felt tapped out. This time around we have a ton more songs in the bank and surprises coming. We’re excited to KEEP GOING.
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