Port Moody rapper wins spot in first ARC program

 A Port Moody musician is among the first participants to be featured in a new accelerator program.

Kimmortal is one of 15 artists/bands in ARC, a Music BC initiative funded in part by the provincial government.

Kimmortal has a background in art and theatre and their concept album, X marks the Swirl, involves spoken word, rap and field recordings of water that Kim created over five years.

The album was long-listed for a Polaris, recognized by CBC as one of the top albums of 2019 and nominated in the 2020 Hip Hop and Rap category of Breakout West Music Awards.

All through late July to September, ARC musicians will be involved in:

The Clinic

• A multi-day training intensive where participants will attend business-focused workshops on revenue streams, branding and building a business plan, followed by assignments for continued learning and progress check-ins with ARC mentors

The Retreat

• Another multi-day intensive comprised of one-on-one and group mentorship sessions with world-class industry leaders, with a focus on all the creative components that go into growing and sustaining an audience and brand, including writing, recording, vocal and live performance training

The Show

• An opportunity for participants to perform at September’s Rifflandia Festival, in front of a live audience of fans, local and international industry members

"The province recognizes that increasing skills training and cultivating talent is an important pathway to supporting local musicians," said Melanie Mark (Hli Haykwhl Wii Xsgaak), B.C.'s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, in a news release.

"We responded to a call to action and know there is so much talent right here in our backyard, and we want to support B.C.'s artists to reach for the stars and build sustainable careers. I am excited to see them shine, and I wish the first program participants the brightest future."