How Specyal T’s Most Personal EP In 2025 Became Her Strongest Era Yet

Specyal T isn’t just an artist, she’s an architect of sound, a multi-instrumentalist, a storyteller, and a creative force who refuses to stay in one lane. The Toronto-born Caribbean-Canadian musician has spent her career breaking boxes, blending genres, and shaping a signature style that exists somewhere between Lauryn Hill’s honest soul and Missy Elliott’s bold, experimental edge. But what sets her apart isn’t just the sound, it’s the intention. Every track, every hook, every sonic left turn is rooted in craft, discipline, and purpose.

2025 marked a defining chapter for her. While fans were already riding the wave of her long-running hit “Double Take,” Specyal T introduced a new side of her artistry through Chasing Sunday, dropping the punchy “Ben’s Girlfriend” and the raw, relatable “Automatic.” But it was her sixth studio EP, After The Applause, that revealed the most personal evolution. Genre-bending, emotionally layered, and technically daring, the project showcases an artist stretching beyond comfort zones, experimenting with new textures, and pushing her own creative limits. It’s the release she chose for BUZZMUSIC’s Best Independent Artists of 2025, not only because it’s sonically strong, but because it represents real growth, real vulnerability, and real triumph.

For Specyal T, this EP isn’t just another checkpoint in her discography. It’s a body of work built during a year of learning, healing, and reconnecting, with new instruments, new techniques, and a new chapter of performance after joining a worship band for the first time since losing her daughter. That step alone carried weight. It opened doors, sparked new connections, and reignited a sense of spiritual grounding in her relationship with music.

Outside the studio, she spent the year expanding her skill set, performing more, and continuing her role as a mentor to emerging artists. She’s the kind of creative who leads by example, a reminder that independent artistry isn’t just about releasing music; it’s about the hustle behind the scenes, the self-management, the emotional labor, and the constant drive to evolve without losing authenticity.

As she steps into 2026, Specyal T is aiming higher: more live shows, bold collaborations, and new releases that push her versatility even further. But at the heart of her journey remains the same message she gives other artists: keep grinding, stay grounded, and trust the beauty inside the struggle. That’s where the real connection lives.

After The Applause is your chosen release for 2025, a project you’ve described as both creatively challenging and personally meaningful. What headspace were you in while making this EP, and how did pushing into new genres and techniques change you as an artist?

I was in a different level of creative flow when creating ATA. Pushing into new genres and techniques continues to help me evolve in my artistry.

Your career spans R&B, Hip-Hop, Pop, Electro-Pop, and even Pop Rock through your Chasing Sunday project. What inspires you to constantly genre-bend, and how do you decide which sonic world each story belongs in?

As an artist I’m known to push creative boundaries, I don’t like to be put in a box. The vibe, the mood, and the direction come from the story, and then the music evolves everything from there.

You’ve talked about wanting listeners to understand the layers and workload independent artists manage. What’s something behind the scenes that people don’t realize takes real emotional or creative stamina?

I feel the true level of work as a whole, most times done independently, at the level of a major artist, without the various teams and resources they typically have. It takes real emotional and creative stamina to stay in the grind when the respect may not always be there. 

You learned new instruments and skills this year, and you also returned to performing piano/synth with a worship band, your first since your daughter’s passing. How has reconnecting with music in that space shifted your relationship with performing and healing?

Yes, this year I’ve also been busy with building up more musical skills in performance and technique. It’s been a real healing journey, and I’ve found in this new, familiar environment a new sense of peace, which has helped me overall through my continued bereavement journey. 

Between radio rotation, TV placements, and the long life of singles like “Double Take,” you’ve built a career with serious longevity. How do you balance staying consistent with also reinventing and evolving across each new era?

I just continue to stay true to my vibe. It has served me well throughout the years. 

You’ve become a mentor and role model to other musicians. What’s one piece of hard-earned wisdom you find yourself sharing most often with artists coming up behind you?

One piece of wisdom I find myself sharing with newer artists is to stay focused on your goals, and don’t let outside noise affect your creative process.

Looking ahead to more performances, new collaborations, and new releases in 2026, what creative risks or new chapters are you most excited to explore in the next year?

I’m excited for everything creatively that’s coming next. 2026, let’s get it!