Universal Music of Canada announced the signing of a contract with Huda Al-Hamami, aka Avril.
The 22-year-old Iraqi-born artist from Ontario has released her debut album. bunch earlier this year. Combining the artist's unique folk, lo-fi and shoegaze sounds with intimate storytelling, the album draws on her experiences as a first-generation immigrant, covering themes of identity, adolescence and biology (as she has a science background). The entire album was solo written, performed, produced, mixed and mastered by Ebril and has since gained global popularity.
The album's opening track, “Stranger in You,” quickly gained popularity on TikTok this summer, racking up more than 1 billion views on social media and surpassing 11 million streams on Spotify at the time of publication. Transcendental, ambient and sonically alluring, the song reflects the artist's connection to her roots and features field recordings from Iraq.
Commenting on the news of her signing, she said in a press release: “As a young Canadian artist, I feel so blessed and grateful that my vision and art are supported, allowing me to express myself through music.”
UMC President and CEO Julie Adams recounts meeting the artist for the first time: “I first met Huda over dinner and I didn’t want to leave,” further adding, “I was completely blown away by her artistic vision, curiosity, sense of humor and overall outlook on the world. Ebril is an artist who knows exactly what she wants to achieve, and we are honored to partner with her to help her share her music and her vision with the world.”
Listen to “Stranger in You” below.
