Putting ‘The Blue’ in Blue Sky City

Hunter Pratt, Staff Writer

If you want to discuss Calgary’s music scene, a staple is Hemen Tor-Agbidye, more commonly known as The Blue.

His music combines positivity and life lessons, reflecting a vibe that feels like a warm Calgary day. 

Hemen has been making music since middle school. He chose The Blue as his artist name after the nursery rhyme, Little Boy Blue, which he shortened to make it timeless. 

His music features a whirlwind of collaborative efforts, including his band, which has created a community for him over the years. For Hemen, this community makes his music feel like sunshine in a bottle as it provides the opportunity for other artists to shine as well.

“We’re all different. We all have different viewpoints,” says Hemen. “But I really enjoy working with different people because they push you in a different way.” 

Hemen says he owes many lessons to working with others, as they have made him want to create better art and push his creative limits. He adds that pushing himself creatively manifests in his music as poise and self-awareness. 

Hemen expresses that positivity is something he pays gratitude toward, even when times aren’t easy.

“I approach life with a positive view, and I’m glad that comes through the music,” he says. “I know life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, so there’s definitely acknowledgement of that part, but understanding there are things to fight for in life.” 

Hemen truly fights for what he believes in, sharing that a big reason he became so invested in making music was to prove a teacher wrong. 

In the eighth grade, Hemen had an English teacher who claimed rap music only focused on girls and cars. Hemen, however, didn’t stand for this.

He spent his time proving this teacher wrong, recording positive hip-hop music and performing at school events. Eventually, the teacher thanked Hemen for pushing back and sharing his side of the argument, even getting extra credit if he was able to connect hip-hop to any English assignment. 

“You rarely see teachers come back and acknowledge things you’ve done like that, especially [teachers] set in their ways,” he says. 

The Blue pays huge respect to the Blue Sky City within his music, thanking it for being an emerging place to grow as an artist. “I love Calgary so much, and I think it’s genuinely the best city right now for emerging talent in the country.” 

Hemen explains that Calgary’s audience is unmatched for any artist willing to step to the plate. 

“I always hear from so many people that this is like the warmest audience they’ve performed in front of,” he says. “They felt the crowd was engaged and really into what they were doing. . . it’s so great that that’s the reputation we’re building.” 

Hemen’s pride for the city runs deep, providing encouragement to YYC locals to expose themselves to art that is right under their noses. 

“I think the cool thing is we have so much incredible talent in Calgary. You will not regret getting exposed to what’s happening in the city and also getting to be part of the culture that’s building here,” he says.

Hemen has had plenty of opportunities to open for other great Canadian musicians, ranging from K-OS to Down With Webster, fulfilling plenty of childhood dreams. These performance opportunities have always felt surreal for The Blue.

 “You dream about it as a kid, and no matter how much you believe in yourself, sometimes you don’t process like this is an actual, real thing that can happen or did happen,” he says. 

The Blue considers himself an outspoken advocate for the city, and when it comes to the music scene, this is his self-fulfilling prophecy. 

So, whether he is creating music or advocating for local musicians, The Blue works to remind Blue Sky City that “Calgary’s music scene is beautiful.”