In this interview, Tyrell MacLennan, Trinidadian-Canadian model and co-founder of Deh’ya, shares how the Toronto-based collective approaches curating community-focused spaces that are dedicated to blending traditional and contemporary Caribbean cultural practices and sounds.
local·global: Can you share a bit about your origins and how your Caribbean heritage has influenced your approach to event curation and media?
Tyrell MacLennan: I was born and raised in Canada but have a mixed background of Trinidadian and Scottish/Canadian descent, while Rennie has a similar story, but born to Jamaican and Italian parents. His father was a part of a sound crew, exposing him to reggae and dancehall at an early age as well as granting him an understanding of the nightlife business and event curation.
Growing up closer to my mom’s side (Scottish/Canadian), I have always yearned to learn more about my Caribbean heritage. Extensive research and growing closer to both my father’s side (Trinidadian), as well as Toronto’s Caribbean community, allows me to authentically reference my culture in tasteful ways. Travelling to multiple Caribbean islands over the last few years has been vital for both Rennie and I in experiencing our roots and exploring various channels of Caribbean culture.
LGW: What inspired you to start Deh'ya, and how have you navigated its growth since the inception?
TM: There were definitely multiple inspirations for both Rennie and I in the creation of Deh’ya that all kind of came together and made sense. Rennie, a newer DJ to the Toronto scene at the time came to me looking for assistance with starting a party. Recognizing that Rennie is a killer dancehall DJ, and that we are both of Caribbean descent, it was only natural that our culture was central to the event. We both agreed that while reggae, soca, and dancehall music are played at most parties, there was a lack of authentic spaces for those communities within the larger scene. We had seen great cultural success for community-focused spaces like Kuruza, Amaproblemmm, Afrique Like Me, and of course local·global to name a few. We felt like we needed more spaces like that for our people.
The navigation process has been challenging - like building a plane while you fly it. We’ve always had ideas to build Deh’ya as a world and for it to be seen as more than just a party. Building that surrounding world has been kind of challenging when the events are what is driving the brand financially. But we figured that before doing that, it was essential to build the world within the parties; the branding of our events as well as the experience we look to provide, both hold a heavy contribution to that. Investing heavily on the experience and properly marketing it to others, has allowed us to retain our community while growing it simultaneously.
LGW: How has living in Toronto shaped your work and the events you curate, especially within the context of the city's diverse cultural landscape?
TM: As one of the most versatile DJs in the city, Rennie has likely experienced every scale of event there is. You could catch him at I Love R&B, Bastid’s BBQ, APT 200, Lavelle, or a pool party out in Scarborough all on a random weekend in July - crushing every set. You tend to learn what to draw from as well as what doesn't work from each experience.
While I don’t DJ myself, operating within Toronto’s creative spaces and nightlife scenes has been inspiring as well, even if these experiences are not directly event-related. I’ve been able to witness the importance of rollouts and world building from Toronto brands and platforms such as SPENCER BADU or Kazeem’s NEW CURRENCY, along with many more of this city’s creative talents. We look to continuously do our research within the city’s spaces to help us understand how we can shape it to make sense for Deh’ya.
LGW: Can you walk us through your creative process when planning an event or producing content for Deh'ya? What elements are essential to authentically represent Caribbean culture?
TM: I would say the creative process begins with the type of party we want to throw, whether it is a day party or maybe a night time bashment. From there, we find a location and start to visualise how we can shape that space to fit within our world. This has become more manageable through DIY venues versus bar/club venues. We then come up with a name that feels organic to the experience we’re pushing. For example, NIGHT SHIFT for a night bashment or SKY YAAD for a rooftop day party. Having the location down, we are able to forecast how the recap photos might turn out. This allows us to maintain a consistent theme or similar colour schemes when creating a flyer and releasing promotional content. This way, when looking back at each event, the promotional content and recap footage all make sense together.
Capturing authentic representation of the culture begins with the event itself and by including the authentic elements within the structure of the party. Naturally, this draws a Caribbean crowd who tend to behave more authentically Caribbean in these environments. The rest is easy - having the photographers and videographers capture real moments from the event. We direct the content team to shoot less posed content as we prefer to show our people having fun, remaining authentically themselves. Our audience then knows they can come to Deh’ya to dance, shout, scream or express themselves however they choose. With my emphasis on branding, I like to hire fashion photographers as opposed to other event photographers. They tend to know how to tell a story and draw emotion out of their images. This results in event recaps that may double as a Deh’ya campaign.
LGW: You recently travelled to Jamaica. How did this trip influence your creative vision and the projects you're currently working on?
TM: Ahhh yes. Rennie and I recently went to Kingston, Jamaica around Carnival, experiencing a whole other vicinity of nightlife. In our own events, we look to draw from aspects such as the grungy party environments, the food you smell as you step into the event, the expressive emceeing during the DJ sets, as well as the dancers and performers who seem to have a routine for almost every track. We’re looking to emphasise this energy leading up to DEH’YA FEST, not only drawing from Kingston’s nightlife, but through the downtown markets and the island’s street lifestyle as well. A lot of small details go into creating something authentic to the culture… in some ways we aim to provide either a nostalgic experience for those who miss home, or a new experience for those wanting to find themselves within the culture.
LGW: How do you balance honouring traditional Caribbean cultural elements with introducing innovative and contemporary aspects in your events and media?
TM: This had always been a challenge for us, but balancing those different elements has now become a tool we use to our advantage. Since moving to the city and immersing ourselves within our culture and different Toronto spaces, it has become increasingly evident that Caribbean people look different not only in Toronto, but all over the world. This occurs especially in spaces that hold so many second and third generation Caribbean immigrants; we all have our own perspective. It is difficult to throw sustainable events purely off of nostalgia while keeping up with the cooler, more current parties - especially if your goal is to push the culture forward. Within our media, we find it best to maintain more innovative aspects while only referencing historically Caribbean elements, approaching our culture from a more creative standpoint.
The balance in our events begins with the DJ lineup. Through combining bigger, more authentically Caribbean sounding DJs, with younger, more contemporary Caribbean ones, we tend to attract two different types of crowds within one space. This could be seen as an issue, but there exists a common ground for the love of the music and the culture. By blending the more traditional and contemporary Caribbean scenes, Rennie and I are able to introduce both communities’ perspectives on their culture to each other, one they may not always get to experience. For the traditional, we are pushing the culture forward, while for the contemporary, we are connecting them to their roots.
LGW: You have a festival coming up next week during Toronto's Caribana Carnival. Can you tell us how this came about and what attendees can expect from the event?
TM: Rennie and I launched Deh’ya during Caribana weekend last year. Seeing as it will be our one year anniversary, we wanted to challenge ourselves to do something BIG. We have a few notable international names like Ovadose flying in all the way from the Bahamas, as well as an incredible lineup of Toronto’s best Caribbean DJs - including three out of four DJs from our very first event. On top of the eight DJs performing, we are integrating a dance performance, a live drum set, as well as a traditional Caribbean fire breathing act. These acts are just a few of the pieces that will come together in creating an authentic experience for our community.
LGW: Community seems to be a cornerstone of Deh'Ya's mission. How do you engage with and support the local and global Caribbean community through your platform?
TM: When building a brand, community is everything! At the basis, we turn to our community in hiring our talent. To this day, Deh’ya has only ever hired Caribbean DJs and hosts to work our events. There are so many talented people of Caribbean descent but not always spaces for them, so we make sure to highlight them through our platform as much as possible. It is easy to get caught up hiring your favourite DJs for multiple parties, but we strive to continue adding new faces to our lineups and provide more opportunities each time. Other community involvement opportunities have included flight giveaways to the Caribbean, bringing on our party-goers as models for our brand campaigns, or giving out guestlist spots to a few of our loyal supporters.
On a global scale, Deh’ya partnered with the Caribbean charitable platform, RECLAIM: EG WEST in light of Hurricane Beryl that struck four of our major islands in a devastating way. We used our most recent event to host a donation space for tangible items, filling up 4+ barrels of goods to send back to those affected by the incident. We are very inspired by the work that Marcus (@42mtp) does with RECLAIM: EG WEST for his community and look to continue working with them and similar community causes moving forward.
If you are reading this and are interested in how you may be able to contribute, please check out @reclaimrebuildegwest on Instagram!
LGW: How do travel, movement, and migration influence the content you create and the events you curate? What themes do these experiences bring into your work?
TM: I believe this can tie into my other answer surrounding perspective. My grandparents migrated from Trinidad to England - had my father there - before sending him and his siblings to Trinidad, relocating to Edmonton, Alberta, and finally settling in Ontario. Both my grandparents as well as my father and his siblings, each hold their own relationship with the Caribbean - a very separate experience to mine and Rennie’s upbringing being of mixed Caribbean descent in St. Catharines, ON. The best story we can tell is our own. Deh’ya remains a journey that allows us to discover our culture in various ways. We can only show our perspective on the culture and what it has taught us. Certain aspects of that tend to become relatable throughout someone else's story, such as the story of what it may look like to be a second-generation immigrant in Toronto.
LGW: Outside of Deh'ya, how do you express yourselves creatively, and what other interests or projects are you passionate about?
TM: Outside of headlining Deh’ya, Rennie has been rapidly climbing to pursue a household name as an international DJ. He undoubtedly has one of the hardest work ethics I’ve witnessed and I won’t be surprised if he surpasses his goals in the next couple years, venturing on to new challenges.
For myself, I have always enjoyed operating within creative spaces, especially through modelling. While I still see that as an art form and a way to express myself, it wasn’t until Deh’ya that I found a more rewarding way to channel my creative energy. I hope to continue building my creative direction skills and apply that to other community-driven brands in the future.
To learn more about Deh'ya, follow them at @wi.deh.ya.
