It changes daily, but usually it’s ani difranco, charles bukowski, any chick-lit, prince, the queen west streetcar, damian rice, mariah carey, travis, john legend, kt tunstall, james blunt, david grey, sia, kylie and dani minogue, terri moïse, craig david, natasha and daniel bedingfield, sade, moloko, modjo, cole porter, holly cole, ella fitzgerald, barenaked ladies, billie holiday, anastasia, phoenix, prince, sex & the city, gabrielle, madonna, pj harvey, tina turner, whitney houston (before bb), final fantasy, danielle steel, jackie collins, judith krantz, iseult teran, anna maxted, sam baker, sophie ellis baxter, billy vera and the beaters, inxs (w/ mh), sheryl crow, batman begins, dolly parton and kenny rogers x-mas album, 90s supermodels, cat ratusny, kate nash, king sunny ade, lionel richie, bjork, mississauga transit, london underground, paris metro, dita von tease, coco love alcorn, portishead, nadine medawar, paul simon, paul weller, ex-boyfriends, abba, corinne bailey rae, sade, george michael, pat field, feist, nina simone, fiona apple, coldplay, keren ann, carla bruni, lhasa, mc solaar, nu by yves st laurent, allure by chanel, angel by thierry mugler and everything else too
Toronto-based singer/songwriter Bunmi Adeoye (pronounced boo-mee a-day-oh-yeh!) wants to have your babies, yes, all of them. In exchange, she’ll give you her songs of love, pain, heartache, deceit, longing, hope and redemption.
Described as sounding like a mixture of Carol King and Tracy Chapman with a dash of Avril Lavigne and Ani DiFranco, Bunmi writes and sings tunes that could be the soundtrack of a scorned ex-girlfriend, desperately searching for “closure”.
Bunmi lived in Europe for a few years and while living there she worked with various local artists as a studio and backup singer. She was also a semi-finalist in the London-based Perrier Young Jazz Musician competition. She is strongly influenced by artists such as KT Tunstall, David Gray, Damien Rice. She credits her flair for writing melodramatic tunes to listening to vintage French love songs, reading Harlequin romances before she was old enough to French kiss, and watching loads of Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland musicals. A child of the 80s, she has also been happily tainted by WHAM! and Sade.
She has performed in various Toronto venues, including Hugh’s Room, Rivoli and Free Times Cafe. Bunmi will be releasing her debut album end of May.
Bunmi Quick Facts
Pet peeves: People that clip their nails in public places, esp. on the TTC.
Fave Sex and the City episode: “Boy, Interrupted” The one with the prom where Marcus and Stanford almost break up. I think it is one of the most beautiful and genuinely romantic episodes
Favourite song for karaoke: George Michael’s “Faith”
What keeps her awake at night: Worrying that she’s not getting enough sleep
What you should ask Bunmi the next time you see her: Whatever you want. She’ll try, but she can’t guarantee that she’ll answer truthfully.
Bunmi, the feeling is entirely mutual, your voice and stage presence is mesmerizing, I'd love to do a show together, I'll let you know if anything comes up
Hey, Bunmi! Congrats on finishing your CD!!! When's your big release? How did your gig with Allister go? Sorry I missed it. Well done with the NXNE showcase. I have never managed one of those. Oh well! Peace. Pete
Hey girl. I'm playing at the Drake Underground this coming Wednesday (June 4th). It's a really sweet bill and I'm excited for it! Please come out if you can. And congrats on NXNE!!
Hey Bunmi, Thanks for adding me. After reading about and listening to you, I'm convinced that you really do sound like You, You, You. Love the voice and love the guitar. Have a wonderful day. Fran
