Annabel Oreste is learning what it means to be soft again. The Montreal-based Canadian-Haitian R&B artist, fresh off winning the 2025 Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program, has spent years building walls around her heart, only to realize that true safety doesn’t come from being guarded. Her latest single, “I CARE,” produced by High Klassified, is a confession about that very tension: the messy, fragile space between wanting to love authentically and being terrified of what happens when someone actually sees you.
“I wrote ‘I Care’ after realizing I wasn’t the only woman who found it hard to trust love,” Annabel explains. “I remember talking to my friends about catching feelings for someone and feeling terrified to actually let him in. We’d all built these walls just to protect ourselves, to survive. I had this constant fear that if someone saw the whole picture, they’d leave. But then this one man came along, saw me exactly as I was, pain and all, and didn’t try to fix me. That kind of honesty felt both beautiful and terrifying. I didn’t know how to process it, so I wrote about it. The song became a confession, not just about love, but about learning to feel safe being seen.”
It’s the kind of vulnerability that defines Annabel’s artistry. Her voice carries weight, emotion, and a rawness that refuses to be polished away. When she sings, it feels less like a performance and more like an invitation into something private and true. “I CARE” is the second single from her upcoming debut EP Lovingly, set for release in 2026, and it showcases her ability to blend Pop, R&B, and Soul into something deeply personal yet universally resonant.
Watch the visualizer for I CARE below:
Working with High Klassified was, in her words, “honestly surreal.” She continues: “I’ve admired his work for a while, so getting the chance to create with him so early in my career felt like a blessing. What stood out to me was how instinctive he is. He doesn’t just make beats, he builds worlds. When I brought ‘I Care’ to him, the lyrics were already written, but he managed to translate every emotion I was feeling into sound. The production carries the same tension and tenderness as the story, it feels cinematic but still intimate. That balance really shaped the emotional tone of the song.”
But the walls Annabel sings about didn’t come down easily. It took time, patience, and a fundamental shift in how she understood safety itself. “Honestly, love did,” she says when asked what helped her finally feel safe enough to open up. “But not just romantic love, divine love, self-love, patience. I learned that safety doesn’t come from being guarded; it comes from trusting that even if things fall apart, you’ll still be okay. I started building that kind of safety within myself, and that gave me the courage to open up to others.”
That sense of divine love isn’t just a poetic phrase for Annabel. It’s foundational. Her faith shapes everything she creates, from the way she writes about resilience to how she defines self-worth. “When I talk about faith, I’m really talking about my relationship with God,” she says. “That relationship is the foundation of everything I write. The way I understand love, resilience, and self-worth all starts with Him. The Bible teaches me what those things truly mean not as concepts, but as ways of living. I’m just a soul having a human experience, trying to do things the right way and leave something meaningful behind. My songs come from that place of trust and surrender. It doesn’t come from me; it comes through me, from God.”
Her upcoming EP Lovingly is a reflection of that spiritual and emotional journey. Even the title carries weight: “Annabel” means “loving,” and this project is, in many ways, a return to her truest self. “Lovingly is about returning to my true essence,” she explains. “It’s about finding softness again after being in survival mode for so long. It’s a reflection of how I’ve learned to love myself again not in a loud, perfect way, but in an honest, ongoing one. Each song is a snapshot of the moments that shaped my young adulthood; some of them were written when I was 19 or 20, right after Star Académie, and they’ve grown alongside me. Today, I’m in a place of resilience, but also peace. I try to lead with love in everything I do, even when I say no, it’s out of love for myself or for others. This project is me standing in that truth.”
Winning the Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program was a turning point, not because it validated her talent, but because it reminded her that she didn’t need to become someone else to be seen. “Winning the Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program was shocking in the best way,” Annabel recalls. “What moved me most is that I haven’t even released the full body of work that represents who I truly am as an artist yet. Until now, people have only heard a few singles, many of them collaborations, but not my own full project. So to be recognized at this stage reminded me that I don’t have to become someone else to be seen. It made me believe even more deeply that there’s a space for my voice in this industry, and an audience out there waiting for the kind of music I make. I gave up everything to pursue this path, so this win felt like confirmation like a dream finally taking form into something real and solid.”
Annabel’s journey to this moment began with a viral cover of Anita Baker’s “Body and Soul,” which amassed over 300,000 views on YouTube and introduced audiences to her powerful alto voice and magnetic stage presence. But more than the technical skill, it was the emotional honesty that made people stop and listen. “That performance taught me that honesty travels,” she says. “People didn’t connect with the notes they connected with the emotion behind them. It showed me how powerful it is when you let yourself feel on stage instead of trying to impress. Ever since, I’ve tried to sing from that same raw, unfiltered place.”
Her Haitian heritage adds another layer to her sound, infusing her R&B with rhythm, fire, and a depth of emotion that feels both ancient and immediate. “My Haitian side gives me rhythm and fire,” Annabel says. “I grew up surrounded by gospel, soul, and Caribbean sounds, so emotion has always been central. I think that’s why my voice carries a bit of both worlds, the ache and the joy. My culture taught me that even pain can sound beautiful if you sing it truthfully.”
As she’s grown, so has her understanding of love itself. “I used to think love had to be grand and consuming to be real,” she admits. “Now I see it as peace, not chaos. Love that lets you breathe, not one that takes your breath away. It’s quiet but powerful like choosing someone, and yourself, every day.” It’s that redefined version of love, gentle and grounding rather than dramatic or destructive, that pulses through “I CARE” and the rest of Lovingly.
When the EP finally arrives in 2026, Annabel hopes it does what her music has always tried to do: remind people that they’re worthy of something better. “I hope it reminds them that they’re worthy of love that doesn’t hurt,” she says. “That healing isn’t linear, and softness is strength. If someone listens and feels seen, or decides to forgive and accept themselves a little more, then I’ve done my part.”
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