Tiger Balme

The story of Toronto-based Tiger Balme is the story of Yang Chen, Estyr, Danielle Sum, and Anda Zeng coming together to sing songs they could only sing once they had found each other. With members taking turns writing and singing, Tiger Balme’s heart beats with disco, indie, math rock, and ’90s acoustic pop influences through the grounding forces of drums, guitar, and bass, while vibraphone, harp, and harmonies shimmer above. Since 2018, the group of Asian-identifying female and non-binary musicians have created sonic spaces of tender resilience at festivals, intimate art shows, and venerable venues around Toronto and Southern Ontario. Their album produced by Paul Chin, the self-titled Tiger Balme, is an embrace of the wounds that shape us and the connection that heals us, an ode to the courage that arises from being true to one’s own heart.