I nominated a few songs, but I want to promote Citizen4 by Cenzina in particular. The topic of the song fits this contest better than my other nominations, and it's a fun song even without the deeper meaning.

https://www.altrecess.com/post/cenzina-challenges-the-age-of-surveillance-with-citizen4

It’s Cenzina at her sharpest, digging into themes of surveillance, digital tracking, and the unsettling rise of technocracy.

Quoting Snowden’s famous line about privacy, the song plants itself firmly in the conversation about rights and autonomy. In her own words, Cenzina says: “My hope would be that Citizen4 reminds people to question the true cost of losing the rights to our privacy and personal data as surveillance technologies rapidly advance and merge.”

The song’s hook drives that unease home, with lines like: “One face composed of many faces, one place consumed by many places, sleeves are filled with aces, hearts that come with laces, come on take a spoon-ful, tell me can you taste this?” It’s both poetic and piercing, a direct challenge to how numb we’ve become to the systems shaping our lives.

Yet for all its weight, Citizen4 doesn’t wallow. There’s hope in the melodies and a reminder that resistance doesn’t only mean protest signs—it can also mean returning to the things that make us human: community, art, nature, connection. The record feels alive, not just in its sound but in its spirit, urging listeners to take back a sense of agency and awareness.

Cenzina, who proudly represents artists living with chronic illness and invisible disabilities, pours realness into her work in a way that feels impossible to fake. Citizen4 isn’t just another alt-rock track—it’s a wake-up call wrapped in gorgeous production, a reminder that even in times of uncertainty, music can be both mirror and medicine.

I almost missed this!

[English] Citizen4 by Cenzina, an Alt/Psychedelic Pop-Rock artist from Vancouver. YouTube date is Oct 13, 2025.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-NXG6po6g
• https://www.altrecess.com/post/cenzina-challenges-the-age-of-surveillance-with-citizen4

[English] Heart on the Line by Maya Jade, a R&B song by Jamaican-Canadian singer and artist currently based in Vancouver, BC.

• https://song.link/t/415142534
• https://www.mayajade.ca/bio

[English] Rest Easy (In My Love) by Anne Murray, recorded between 1978 and 1995 but unreleased until this year. MusicBrainz date is 2025-09-05.

• https://song.link/t/441807787
• https://www.cbc.ca/music/anne-murray-unreleased-music-new-album-1.7567055

[English] Live Forever by Sloan, a Canadian rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1991. MusicBrainz lists the date as 2025-09-26.

• https://song.link/t/461569024
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloan_(band)

[English] Embers by Aysanabee, an Oji-Cree singer-songwriter and a member of Sandy Lake First Nation. MusicBrains date is 2025-06-20.

• https://song.link/t/441807576
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aysanabee

[English] On Rolls the Wheel by William Prince, a Manitoba folk and country singer. MusicBrainz date is 2025.

• https://song.link/t/440673759
• https://www.williamprincemusic.com/about

[Instrumental/English] Glass Veins by Rezz, a Ukrainian–Canadian DJ and record producer from Niagara Falls, Ontario

• https://song.link/t/448761290
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rezz

[English] Go Time by Wolf Castle, a Mi'kmaq Rapper & Producer

• https://song.link/t/448516038
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeKVdLKNy_E

[English] The Gardener by Emma Alves, an experimental R&B artist from Vancouver

• https://song.link/t/489769585
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yIDP1oWaYU
• https://www.emmaalves.com/

[Inuktitut] Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass) by Elisapie, an Inuk musician and actress. MusicBrainz date is 2025-08-26.

• https://song.link/t/449705436
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisapie

[English] To Ease You by Men I Trust, a Canadian indie band formed in Quebec City. MusicBrainz date is 2025-05-06.

• https://song.link/t/432423611
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_I_Trust

[English] In Due Time by Akintoye, a Canadian rapper from Ontario. YouTube date 2025-04-08

• https://song.link/t/426650240
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akintoye_(rapper)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6EMPI_NEww