Tory Lanez is the stage name of Daystar Peterson, which seems like it would be a pretty solid stage name, too.
Lanez is a Canadian rapper and singer, but he has ties to Texas, New York City, and South Florida as well. He makes AutoTune-heavy trap-tinged jams with poppy dancehall touches. His debut full-length, “I Told You,” came out earlier this year, and it tells the story of Lanez’s struggles, basically having to fend for himself since he was a teenager. It’s a sound that hints toward other artists like Drake and Trey Sounds.
He’s had connections and guidance from fellow Canadian Justin Bieber. There’s a pop sensibility, but with the sad piano chords and surreal warped vocals, pitch-adjusted, looped and distended, a song like “To D.R.E.A.M.” is fundamentally weird. Lanez, 24, tells a story with his music, with skits and characters and narratives braided together on his record.
Tory Lanez takes the mic at the Dome at Toyota Presents Oakdale Theater, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford, Friday, Dec. 16, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27.50. 203-265-1501, livenation.com.
