Toronto’s music scene has always churned out gems, but few artists have managed to capture the city’s restless, boundary-pushing energy quite like Ebhoni Jade Cato-O’Garro, known today as SadBoi. At just 26, she’s a singer, songwriter, model, and cultural mood-maker whose aesthetic and sound are as multilayered as her heritage—Antiguan, Jamaican, and Indigenous. With a career that began in her pre-teens, SadBoi has evolved into a musician who is unapologetically herself: vulnerable, seductive, and irreverently powerful.
From Weston Road to Parkdale: The Early Years
Ebhoni’s story begins on Toronto’s Weston Road, in a Jewish household, before life shifted with her parents’ divorce. She moved to Oshawa with her mother and sister, navigating the complexities of adolescence while already honing a talent that would define her. At nine, she stepped onto a stage at the Canadian National Exhibition for her first singing competition—a performance that marked the start of an incredible journey. By ten, she was recording music. By eleven, she was writing songs.
Her early digital footprint included YouTube videos—covers of Beyoncé, Keyshia Cole, and original compositions—where her raw talent and charisma quickly attracted attention. These early steps in performance and content creation were the blueprint for what would become a multifaceted career spanning music, fashion, and social influence.
The Rise of SadBoi: Early Projects and Breakthroughs
At just 17, Ebhoni released her debut EP, Mood Ring (2017), on SoundCloud. The project, brimming with dreamy, R&B-tinged tracks, garnered over 2 million streams, signaling that Toronto had a new force in town. Her sound—intimate yet expansive, melancholic yet brimming with confidence—earned her comparisons to R&B icons while firmly establishing her own lane. She followed up with X in February 2021, an EP that showed significant artistic growth. Later that year, the mixtape Good Dick & Weed arrived, bold in title and unapologetic in content, reflecting a young woman’s exploration of identity, sexuality, and self-expression. SadBoi’s music consistently blurs the lines between vulnerability and bravado, and her lyrics navigate the contemporary emotional landscape with honesty and flair.
In 2022 and 2024, she continued this momentum with EPs like Were All the Ig Girls Worth It?, watch it all fall, and Baddies, alongside albums BARE CHAT and DRY CRY. Each project expands her sonic palette—from hazy R&B to trap-infused beats—while keeping her voice, both literally and figuratively, front and center. SadBoi’s appeal is not limited to her voice. She has modeled for Adidas and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty, bridging music and fashion in ways that feel seamless rather than calculated. Her aesthetic—a fusion of streetwear edge, ethereal femininity, and unapologetic confidence—mirrors her music: layered, evocative, and impossible to ignore.
Her look is effortlessly iconic, yet it’s rooted in authenticity. It’s why fans don’t just listen—they follow. They want to see what she’ll wear, how she’ll style her hair, which city she’ll claim as her backdrop next. SadBoi is part of a new generation of artists for whom image and music are inseparable, not in a gimmicky sense, but as an extension of self-expression. At the core of her artistry is her sound. It’s intimate yet cinematic, melancholic yet hypnotic. Her vocal delivery combines the sweetness of classic R&B with the rhythmic experimentation of contemporary Toronto artists, creating music that is at once familiar and entirely her own.
Tracks like those on “Mood Ring” and “X” showcase her ability to balance vulnerability and confidence. She doesn’t shy away from emotional exposure—whether she’s reflecting on love, loss, or the complexities of modern womanhood, her lyrics are strikingly candid. Yet there’s always a flirtatious, playful undertone that reminds listeners she’s in control of her narrative. This duality—soft and hard, delicate and daring—is what makes SadBoi endlessly compelling. Her music feels like an open diary, but one curated with a sense of style and purpose. It’s this careful balance that has cultivated a loyal fanbase and drawn industry attention, positioning her as one of Canada’s most exciting contemporary R&B talents.
Why We Can’t Stop Listening
SadBoi resonates because she embodies a truth that many crave: authenticity. In a digital age dominated by filtered perfection and algorithm-driven personas, she offers realness wrapped in creativity. Her music is not just sound; it’s mood, identity, and an invitation into a universe that feels both private and universal. Her influence extends beyond music. She is part of a movement redefining what it means to be a young woman in the entertainment industry. She navigates modeling, music, and social media with a self-assurance that inspires, encouraging her audience to embrace complexity rather than conform to reductive stereotypes.
Moreover, SadBoi is an embodiment of Toronto itself—diverse, vibrant, and ever-evolving. She draws from her Antiguan, Jamaican, and Indigenous roots while speaking to a global audience, blending cultural heritage with contemporary soundscapes to create something wholly unique.
There’s a reason the world has noticed SadBoi now. The rise of artists who blend emotional transparency with aesthetic innovation has become a defining feature of Gen Z music culture. SadBoi is at the forefront of this movement, crafting music that’s as much about feeling as it is about listening. Her work challenges conventions, bends genres, and reshapes the narrative around R&B and pop music. She’s also emblematic of a generation that refuses to separate identity from art. Being a Black, Indigenous, and multicultural woman in music, she carries her experiences into her work with nuance and pride, creating art that is political without being preachy, emotional without being performative.
The Future Is SadBoi
As SadBoi continues to release projects, her trajectory suggests that she will not only influence music but shape broader conversations around style, identity, and authenticity. Fans eagerly anticipate her next moves, whether in music videos, collaborations, or fashion endeavors.
So, if you haven’t yet listened to SadBoi, it’s time. Stream her latest releases, watch her videos, and let yourself fall into the spell of an artist who is unapologetically herself. She’s the kind of talent that demands attention—not because she wants it, but because the world is ready for something real, something raw, and something truly unforgettable.
Featured Image: SadBoi
