Canadian Afro-Cuban ensemble Okan takes its name from the word for heart in Lucumí, the liturgical language used in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. The heart of Okan is two songwriter-performers who bring the experiences and potent emotions of their lives to their music, which infuses its Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk, and global rhythms in songs about immigration, courage, and love.
Six years ago, I met Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne through our work with Sistema Toronto, an intensive social program transforming the lives of children through ensemble-based music. Over the years, we taught and performed together, and in 2023, I had the honour of joining them in the recording studio as a guest artist on their third album, Okantomi, a recording that exemplifies the depth and heart of their artistry. It is rare to find two collaborative partners with such a focus on authenticity. I have always marvelled at their ability to transform every space into a vibrant wellspring of creativity and potential.
Born in Cuba, Rodriguez and Savigne met when they moved to Canada and became involved in the music scene in Toronto. Rodriguez, a classically trained violinist, and Savigne, an orchestral percussionist, formed Okan in 2017. That same year, they also married, embarking on an entirely new path of personal and professional partnership.
Rodriguez credits Savigne for giving her the confidence to write her own music: “I never believed I was a true composer or songwriter until Mags made me do it.” Now, seven years after the launch of Okan, the duo departs Canada for the United States with two Juno Awards in hand.
Signed with Luluworld, an offshoot of the Toronto global roots venue Lula Lounge, Okan took home the 2024 Juno Award for Global Music Album of the Year for Okantomi earlier this year. They were nominated in the same category for their first album, Sombras (2019), and won it for Espiral, their sophomore album.
“You have to let it hurt,” says Rodriguez, reflecting on her journey as a songwriter and the importance of music in her life. “You have to live a life full of many strong things happening, so that you have something to write about.”
On Okantomi, which took shape over three years, they explore their individual and shared journeys in depth, and take creative chances. “At the beginning, the idea was to have fun and make people dance. And then it just got deeper and deeper,” explains Rodriguez. They note that the album has a similar structure to Espiral, with an opening chant and a slow final song, but the tone and weight are significantly different.
“It was more personal, it felt right,” says Savigne. “We took our time, and everything we wanted, we got on the album. All the guests. It was amazing.” Vocalist Daymé Arocena, guitarist Elmer Ferrer, pianist Miguel de Amas, bassist Roberto Riveron, and classical violinist Lara St. John are among several guest artists heard on Okantomi.
Between the pandemic and personal changes and developments, the album evolved into something new. “We were seeing the news of non-essential workers and immigrants not being let in,” says Rodriquez, recalling her heightened emotions at the time she wrote the title song. “That’s why it is so sassy, like ‘I’m going to tell you what I think.’ And it came out in Spanglish, I don’t know why.” The way their music resonated for them had changed, and the urge to communicate authentically grew stronger. “We took our time, and after becoming mothers, everything started to change. That album was made in between two miscarriages—Mags had one and I had one—and then we had [our son], and everything got deeper.” Not just as they navigated new work schedules with a baby at home, but with the added depth of the stories they needed to tell, and the feelings they needed to express.
A profound connection with their audience fuels the duo’s creative process. “It’s one of the craziest feelings in the world when someone tells you your song made [them] cry or feel something,” says Rodriguez. “It’s just such a beautiful and profound moment.”
Above and beyond their success as songwriters and performers, Rodriguez and Savigne are both active music teachers and advocates for social change. While living in Toronto, they both worked as teaching artists for Sistema Toronto.
“It’s been the best six years of my life. I’ve learned so much,” says Rodriguez. “[Sistema Toronto] is committed to students and their families and their well-being and their progress of life through music. I know that lives are changed through music because my life was changed through music.”
“I could have had a crappy day, but as soon as the kids see you, they lighten your day,” adds Savigne. A career in the arts is not for the faint of heart, though, she adds. “You have to stay in the game, and sometimes you feel like you lost it, or you wasted your life. But it is music—it’s art. There’s always something there. You need to enjoy the process. You have to get something out of every situation.
“People try to focus on the end result, but they’re thinking about tomorrow. What about today? You need to be [in the] here and now.”
KATHRYN KNOWLES is a composer, cellist, conductor, and writer based in Toronto who served as the 2023–24 Composer Fellow with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. Her composition A Strange and Preposterous Affair was premiered by the HPO in October 2023. Her debut fantasy trilogy, The Quiescence Trilogy, is available for purchase now.