Vivek Shraya announces Canadian tour in support of upcoming visual album, Baby, You’re Projecting

Is there anything Vivek Shraya can’t do? The endlessly talented artist has an expansive body of work that spans music, literature, art, theatre, and film, including a best-selling book, I’m Afraid of Men, a Polaris Prize-nominated album, Part-Time Woman, and a play, How to Fail as a Popstar, that’s being adapted into a digital series with CBC. 

Now, Shraya has announced a run of Canadian tour dates in support of her upcoming visual album, Baby, You’re Projecting, out May 12 via Mint Records. Shraya performs in Vancouver at the Fox Cabaret on May 17. 

The announcement follows the release of Shraya’s latest single, the glimmering ballad, “He Loves Me Until He Hates Me.” 

“Misogyny is a recurring theme in my work but writing this song allowed me to tap into a facet I hadn’t tapped into before—the way that being worshiped by a man (which on the outside looks oh so perfect, even enviable) ultimately can be quite dangerous because pedestals are never a healthy foundation for any relationship,” Shraya explained in a press release. “But more specifically, being loved by a man can actually feel scary because of how easily love can turn to hatred, especially when he feels neglected or judged.” 

The song is also the title-track for a 12-minute short film, which is set to songs from Baby, You’re Projecting and directed by award-winning cinematographer Gabriela Osio Vanden. 

In a statement, Osio Vanden added: “Taking inspiration from such 90’s classics like The Bodyguard and erotic thrillers, ‘He Loves Me Until He Hates Me’ creates a meaningful (and playful) look at the unpredictability of masculinity—how it can fluctuate in insidious ways within a relationship, how one can be worn down in this type of power dynamic, and worse, how that can turn into lateral violence towards other women. The choice to shoot both film and digital was important for me to communicate the shift in perspective, how memories can change as we change. In this story, the romance of film presents the rose-coloured memories which then turns into a stale digital world to reveal the memories for what they are.”

Baby, You’re Projecting is described as a break-up album that explores Shraya’s tenuous relationships with men, with an expansive musical landscape that takes sonic cues from great female pop powerhouses, like Janet Jackson and Beyoncé. And, of course, all held together by Shraya’s singular voice and songwriting.

Vivek Shraya performs at the Fox Cabaret on May 17. Tickets are on sale now.