Casey Mecija is a multi-disciplinary artist, academic and musician. She is active in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

's music and cultural scene.

Early life

Casey Mecija was born and raised in Brantford, Ontario. She is of Filipino descent. Mecija has been based in Toronto, Ontario since moving there to attend university.

Career

Casey Mecija joined the Department of Communication & Media Studies at York University as an Assistant Professor in August 2020. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. Before arriving to academia, she was (and remains) involved in music scenes and multi-disciplinary arts. In the mid 2000s, Mecija contributed to turning her home on

Bellwoods Bellwoods was a provincial riding in Ontario, Canada in the old City of Toronto's west-end. It was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 until 1987, when it was abolished and redistributed into the Dovercourt, and Fort Yo ...

Avenue into a community hub for young artists and musicians. In part driven by a push back against an industry driven by capital and market trends, the space was focused on collaboration and collectivity. She hosted concerts in her basement, showcasing and supporting emerging artists, many of whom have become notable musicians. She co-founded the Friends in Bellwoods music project, which has raised thousands of dollars for the

Daily Bread Food Bank The Daily Bread Food Bank (DBFB) is a non-denominational Canadian charity organisation that strives to end hunger in urban communities. The organisation is based in Toronto, Ontario, and feeds thousands of low-income people a year. They also provi ...

of Toronto. Simultaneously, she was the lead vocalist and songwriter for

Ohbijou Ohbijou was a Canadian indie pop band that was based in Toronto, Ontario. The music of Ohbijou draws on pop, folk and bluegrass influences. History Ohbijou began as the solo project of Brantford singer-songwriter Casey Mecija.Sayej, Nadja. "Un ...

, an orchestral-pop band which toured internationally and acquired large amounts of popularity. Ohbijou was born of the ethos of the home, foregrounding friendship with a desire to make art and music that inspired social change. In 2013, Ohbijou went on hiatus as they grappled with the reality of their own involvement in the industry they hoped to shirk. At that time, Mecija shifted focus towards producing scholarship about diaspora, queer theory, sound studies and aesthetics.

Recent Work

Mecija continues to make music under her own name, releasing her first solo album, Psychic Materials in early 2016. A return to the DIY aesthetic that inspired her initial pursuits, the album addresses ideas surrounding queerness, diaspora, history and love. She is also an award-winning filmmaker, her work being screened internationally and at the

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a charitable cultural film festival organization located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that advocates Asian representations through media arts. Works include films and videos by East Asia, Southea ...

where she was awarded the WIFT-T Award (Women in Film and Television), as well as at

Inside Out Film and Video Festival Inside may refer to: * Insider, a member of any group of people of limited number and generally restricted access Film * ''Inside'' (1996 film), an American television film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Eric Stoltz * ''Inside'' (2002 f ...

. She is also the host of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

's (CBC) program, The Doc Project. She holds a Masters in Communication Studies and completed her PhD at The

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

in the Women and

Gender Studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

program in 2020. Her research focuses on art, media and aesthetics as they relate to immigration and diaspora. She is deeply committed to producing work that supports youth from racialized and diasporic communities.

Discography

* Psychic Materials (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mecija, Casey Canadian indie pop musicians Canadian musicians of Filipino descent Canadian talk radio hosts CBC Radio hosts Musicians from Toronto Queer musicians LGBT singers from Canada Living people 1981 births LGBT broadcasters from Canada 21st-century LGBT people Canadian women radio hosts