In a spoken-word outro on her debut project Brown Sugar Baby, Gayun Cannon asks out loud: “Do I love too much? I think I love too much.” The Chicago singer and multi-instrumentalist centered the experiences of healing and letting feelings in on the six-track project. Brown Sugar Baby is the first extended introduction to Gayun’s gentle, syrupy vocals and her talent for catchy hooks: “Ice on my wrist, I just want to be kissed,” and crafting vivid metaphors that detail emotions from yearning to responding to heartbreak. 

The child of famous Chicago blues guitarist Toronzo Cannon, it’s not a stretch to say Gayun was destined to make music. She’s been playing instruments since the age of four but it was a more lengthy process to get to the point of being comfortable creating her own songs. In elementary school, it was piano lessons. In middle school, she filled books with poetry. In high school, they found confidence in their singing voice with the help of an encouraging guitar instructor. Now, as a sophomore at DePaul University, Gayun felt ready to share Brown Sugar Baby with the world.

Thematically, the album follows a similar progression, from a place of uncertainty: “What is this feeling I got inside, I think I want your makeup smeared on mine,” to striking clarity, seen in her take on healing: “I gotta relive my trauma and look at it in a constructive way.” Production and instrumentation vary from guitar lines you might hear on records from Steve Lacy or Omar Apollo to PinkPantheress-style echoes on the bouncy “Visions” to the use of the Chinese guzheng on “And My Crystals.”

I spoke with Gayun over Zoom about their unique musical upbringing, what made them comfortable baring her soul on the EP, and who they feel the closest to in the Chicago music scene.

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity*

Where did the title Brown Sugar Baby come from?

My nickname as a child from my parents was Brown Sugar, I’m not sure why maybe because I’m brown [laughs].

Through the songs, it’s very emotional. It’s surrounded by love, in a way, and healing. The song “My Negro Baby” was supposed to be “Brown Sugar Baby.” The partner I had at the time, which is who the song was about, he called me Brown Sugar as well. It was my name on his phone. A bunch of the songs on the project are about him.  Toward the end of the project, I’m healing from our relationship. So, the title is in reference to my childhood but also correlates to my love life.

For the subject matter, why go with something vulnerable for your debut project?

I’m a very emotional person and I kind of blame it on my Pisces moon. Every time something emotional happens to me, I write it down and that’s like my way to cope with it. I have to express my emotions, especially if it’s like a breakup or fighting, or a situationship with someone. 

I’m good at communicating, but I feel like my songs are a way to communicate with them. I like having transitions in my songs. Each song has a transition. At parts of each song towards the beginning, there are feelings of “I love you,” “I’m stuck on you,” but by the end, I’ve moved on. That’s the main message I’m trying to convey, that it’s a process. 

“Neelam’s Intro” kicks off the EP with a bang, to say the least. Who is Neelam?

I was really debating whether I wanted to put that in there because they said some STUFF in there. I was going through some things with a guy and I told them about it. They love sending voice memos and they’re always so funny. They were trying to make me feel better by making me laugh and pointing out the issue. I chopped it up and was like, “Can I use this?” It was motivational and funny, and I feel like it grabs people’s attention right in the beginning.

It’s good to have someone that can hype you up in a moment like that, to boost your spirits. 

I was upset and crying and suddenly I was laughing. 

Tell me about the track “Visions.” There are seemingly three parts to it, the first minute and a half, then VISION’s verse, and then KAI comes in at the end with the rapid-fire bars.

Originally, the song was supposed to be me and VISION, sort of like a poppy, “I see this girl at a party, and I have a crush on her,” song. I was inspired by PinkPantheress, I wrote this around the time she started popping off, I was like “I’m gonna make a song like that!” I pitched all my vocals down for VISION’s part. I really liked the beat I found; it was a loop on Logic. I added on to it, I had my friend Solomon play keys on it [in the style of] JD Beck and Domi Keys, very new age jazz-influenced piano.

I sent it to KAI, because he and I are very good friends, we send each other our music, and he’s like, “Yo, can I hop on this?” I’m like yeah! He just went on; I love how fast he can rap, and I love his sound. I was so happy to have him on there. I think it fits because there are three different visions in the song and we’re all talking about different things. I don’t even think they heard anything I was singing about in the song. Constantly changing, three different sounds, but it’s all in one song.

What would you say your favorite track on Brown Sugar Baby is and why?

“My Negro Baby.” That song is more than a year old. I just wanted it to be perfect, I knew who it was about and what I wanted to convey. But things kept being rocky with our relationship, which is why it took a year to finish it. I feel like I can finish a song when my feelings for someone sustain. I wanted it to be a bluesy jazz-type old soul song because I feel like those sounds are dying. I love soul music, so I wanted to bring that back in a new-age type of way. 

I worked with Jay Ziah, he’s an amazing producer —he also produced “I Don’t Need You"—at the end, he had the flute. And the guitar solo, that’s Dante Swan. That’s my buddy, I love him so much. When he sent me the solo, I didn’t want to change anything. I told him I wanted Maggot Brain from the Funkadelics and that’s what he did. The instruments, the chord changes, I feel like this is my most healing song, and that’s the point of the EP. I don’t like talking in my music, but I spit a little bit of poetry at the end. 

Do you have a background in poetry?

I used to write poetry in middle school, but I got bullied for it so I kind of stopped [laughs]. I started writing songs instead, which is poetry basically with music to it. I have maybe 30 books of poetry that I’ve written at home, but I haven’t used any of it in the songs. I’ve kept that hidden, I haven’t told anyone that.

Poetry is a much more vulnerable art form, it’s just you standing there and speaking. [With singing] I have my music with me to back me up. I’m a musician first, I’ve been playing since I was four and I play multiple instruments.

Music has clearly been in your life for a while. Your dad is Chicago guitarist Toronzo Cannon. I imagine you had some robust musical influences as a kid. 

I grew up in a Black and Asian household, and the stereotypical Chinese mother kind of forces their child to learn an instrument, usually violin or piano. My mother happened to choose piano, that’s what I started at four. My dad toured a lot, and still does, but he played a lot of blues and reggae. My mom loved a lot of classic rock: Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Doors. My dad introduced me to Motown, Motown’s my favorite, and blues and rock and Jimi Hendrix. He was the most-played in our household. And Bob Marley for reggae.

[I also listened to] Chinese music. I’m trying to incorporate that more into my music. In “And My Crystals,” I have the guzheng and in M.A.T.A., it’s an erhu. I feel like there’s no [musical] Chinese invasion the same way there was a British invasion.  I expanded more into soul on my own. I’m so passionate about soul and funk music. 

Who have you been listening to in the Chicago scene recently?

Once I started making music, I started to get more opportunities to be part of the Chicago scene. That’s when I started meeting people and I’m like, “Whoa.” Obviously, KAI and Senite, we all met at the same time, and I can see we’re all growing together. I also love NombreKari, he’s crazy. I’ve been knowing Dante Swan; we went to high school together. 

You went to Whitney Young?

Yeah! I graduated in 2020 

I know Dante played guitar there.

I did know a few guitar people. The guitar teacher, he’s very prideful of his students. Mr. Peek, I actually started performing more because of him, in this blues combo at Whitney Young.

I remember I was going through a breakup and I was trying to figure out what to do with my life, whether I wanted to be a musician or do something more “realistic.” There was an open spot on the blues combo and [Mr. Peek] knew who my dad was, heard me sing, and was like, “You should definitely be in it.” He helped me with stage presence, singing tactics, and how to perform in a band. He also trusted my music taste, like we got to sing the songs I liked. It wasn’t just blues; I got some soul and Amy Winehouse-type stuff in there. That got me more into the idea of performing.

How do you hope people react to Brown Sugar Baby?

This should be a healing experience. I know a lot of people have trouble with their emotions and I always hated how emotional I was myself. After I started putting that into my music, I’m thinking we should all at least let some emotion out. I hope this project sparks something in people’s hearts and minds to be like, “Oh, I feel this way about a certain situation, I should probably go deal with it instead of ignoring it. And I should allow myself to have feelings.” Also [breaking down] the idea of toxic masculinity, that you have to stay strong. You can cry, it’s okay! You can be in love! You can free yourself!