Essie Watts

Originating in Toronto around musician Jess Burgess, Essie Watts develops an experimental pop that blends melodic songwriting, electronic textures, ensemble playing and rhythmic exploration. The project also includes Mitch Lohmeier on drums, Jordan Omstead on bass, Irwan Poerba on guitar and vocals, and Aaron Rambhajan on keys and guitar, in a lineup whose balance depends as much on arrangement as on onstage interaction. Essie Watts has moved their shows toward a more transdisciplinary form by incorporating the work of dancers Alison Lobsinger and Ray Turner, placing the group at the intersection of performance, movement and the construction of visual worlds. Aesthetically, Essie Watts sets an oblique, sensitive pop in dialogue with art-pop and experimental elements, in a format that remains accessible without abandoning structural and rhythmic displacements. Cited reference points include Kate Bush, Prince and Björk — signposts that illuminate the emphasis on voice, theatricality and the transformation of pop forms.