Tanika Charles | With Love and Light

At home in Canada, Tanika Charles is a multiple nominee for both the Juno Awards and the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. She's also a sensational success in Europe, where she's been building an enthusiastic fan base for many years. Looking at Tanika's successes in the lead-up to her latest album, you might be forgiven for being surprised that this internationally-renowned R&B artist felt the need for a kind of transformation. But as she tells us, "rebirth, transformation and transition" are what her acclaimed latest album, Papillon de Nuit, is all about. In this episode, Toronto-based Tanika Charles pays a visit to CKUA studios in her old hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. In a warm, candid and insightful conversation, she traces the surprising path she took to a life in music; spirituality and the way she manifested her dreams into reality; searching for realness and resonance in the music and emotion that we hear on Papillon de Nuit; and the oddly inspiring insect that became the central symbol of this album's creative journey.