Photo courtesy: Andrew Campusano
After nearly six years of releasing back-to-back mixtapes, receiving accolades from big names within the hip-hop industry and forming an ongoing beef with Drake himself, Toronto singer and rapper Tory Lanez finally burst into the mainstream with the release of his debut album, “I Told You,” this year.
“We are at a place now that we have wanted to be at for a long time,” Lanez said. “For me, getting into the mainstream, it’s good for me because I have made so many songs in the past that kind of prepared me for making that kind of music and making that music that will go No. 1…. All that stuff is preparing me to be in this place.”
With chart topping hits such as “Luv” and “Say It,” Lanez is bringing his wildfire-like success to Oxford tonight at The Lyric Theater on his I Told You Tour.
“We’ve really taken the show to the next level,” Lanez said. “The reactions have just been great. Everybody has been showing out. All the shows have been selling out. And honestly, it’s one of those situations where I am just happy to be here.”
Photo courtesy: sacksco.com
Lanez stresses that each one of his shows offers a unique opportunity to experience what he has to present for the audience, something he argues you can’t find anywhere else.
“People are reacting to the music the way that they need to react to the music,” Lanez said. “There’s a lot of great artists out there, but there is no artist that can perform like me… Coming to one of my shows is an experience; it’s a time to experience something you don’t normally experience with other shows.”
With this shift in his notoriety as well as caliber of live performance, Lanez has also shifted the sound of his music compared to what he was putting out historically. However, in his mind, the new sound is no simple switch.
“I’m a swavey artist. I make swavey music. Music that not genre [bound]. Music that is multi-genre that is still my kind of sound. I set trends and I set innovation with my music, so, that’s where I stand with it,” Lanez said.
Even though there has been major success for Lanez on the tour and through his music, he certainly does not see this as the destination but rather one small stop on the way to a much bigger goal.
“I am going to be the biggest artist in the world,” Lanez said. “For me, it comes down to selling out arenas, and where my music is all you hear everywhere… There’s a lot more work to do. I haven’t even had my validation yet. Not even close. This isn’t the celebration phase for me. I don’t think I have been fully expressed yet.”
Lanez takes the stage tonight starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at The Lyric Oxford box office, or at www.thelyricoxford.com.
