Duane Forrest is a Toronto-based professional singer-songwriter and multimedia artist. Over the past decade, he has released two full-length albums and toured extensively across Canada, Europe, and Central America. His music has received international radio play in countries such as Canada, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Italy, Nicaragua, and the United States.

Duane has created several pieces of theatre; his first show, Climb, made in conjunction with a music album of the same name, received glowing reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in both 2019 and 2022. At the 2023 Milan Fringe Festival, it was named runner-up for "Show of the Festival." His most recent theatrical work, Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World, earned a 5-star review from Broadway Baby and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and was a sell-out show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024.

Duane's drive to push artistic boundaries continues as he explores the intersections of music, theatre, history, and storytelling.

Currently, Duane is developing his new album Sunrise in Jasper, which will delve into Indigenous and Black experiences in present-day Canada, weaving in historical context to shed light on social justice issues. His recent EP Blackest Birdaddresses the political struggles faced by Canada’s Black community, continuing his trend of using music as a platform for social change.

Born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, to Jamaican immigrant parents, Duane's early life in an at-risk neighborhood shaped his deep connection to music. It provided him with a positive outlet and set him on a different path from many of his peers. His eclectic taste, spanning from Reggae and Hip Hop to Classical and Jazz, continues to inform his unique sound.

In addition to his music career, Duane founded Genesis School of the Arts, a registered charity offering music and arts programming to marginalized children and youth in Toronto and Central America. His work emphasizes storytelling that reflects real-life experiences while increasingly focusing on social and cultural awareness, aiming to inspire both individual and collective transformation.