INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS MUSIC SUMMIT

2023 ARTISTS

IIMS 2023 will shine a spotlight on over 40 incredible Indigenous artists from around the world. We are so excited to announce the first round of Official Showcase Artists who will perform at TD Music Hall and key performance venues across Toronto. Please stay tuned for more artist and programming updates coming soon!

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AMA & HAU is a new musical project between partners Mario Amahiro Tuki and Vai a Tare Paoa. Mario is a Rapanui singer-songwriter from an extensive family of artists, prominent practitioners of sculpture and knowledge holders of rapanui oral tradition, and vocalist of the indigenous fusion rock band Amahir., Vai is a Rapa Nui woman, publicist, event producer, singer and entrepreneur. She has extensive experience on the continent and has also participated in prominent contemporary rapanui music bands such as Haumoana, Amahiro and Rama.

Calling Andrina Turenne's new album Bold As Logs her debut feels like a bit of a misnomer. The Winnipeg singer-songwriter has, after all, graced stages across five continents and has lent her voice—as a member or a guest—to more than 50 albums during her 20-plus years in the music industry. In addition, she has a Juno for best roots & traditional album, awarded to her former band Chic Gamine.

Andrina Turenne

Juno-nominated artist Aysanabee is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer songwriter currently based in Toronto. He is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation a remote fly-in community in the far reaches of Northwestern Ontario. Solemn and soaring, backed by a swirling blend of indie, soul and electronic soundscapes, mournful saxophone and pulse-quickening finger-picking, Aysanabee’s striking sound is equal parts hypnotic and melodic which has been compared to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Don Ross, Kim Churchill, Kings of Leon and Sam Smith.

LA TRIBU IS A BAND GROUP FROM THE DULE NATION OF GUNAYALA IN PANAMA, WITH MUSIC THAT FUSES INDIGENOUS INSTRUMENTS WITH THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF ROCK. IT IS A MUSICAL PROPOSAL BASED ON ETHNO- FUSION, USING DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS CURRENTS WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF TRANSMITTING ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE TO ITS PUBLIC. FOR THEIR STAGE THEY USE TRIBAL DANCES, NATIVE INSTRUMENTS, DULEGAYAN LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS MESSAGES, WHERE THE AMBIANCE IS FILLED WITH GOOD ENERGY THAT VIBRATES AND CAPTURES THE PUBLIC FROM THE FIRST MOMENT.

Banda La Tribu

Acclaimed Inuindie pop star Beatrice Deer is a singer-songwriter based in Montreal. Half Inuk and half Mohawk, Beatrice was born and raised in Nunavik, Quebec, in the small village of Quaqtaq. She has released six studio albums, including her newest, titled SHIFTING. Her award- winning songs are crafted upon deeply personal lyrics and blend indie rock and modern folk with traditional Inuit stories and throat singing.

Beatrice Deer Band

Caley Watts is a mixed Cree musician from Bella Coola, B.C. Her rural upbringing on the West Coast was an artist’s dream, and her music is deeply inspired by small-town living and the landscape of the Great Bear Rainforest which she calls home. Caley’s single “90’s Kids” was produced and co-written by Serena Ryder and Kinnie Starr. In January 2023, Caley recorded her first full-length album with Jesse Zubot in Vancouver, BC which will come out early 2024.

Caley Watts

Chelazon Leroux from Canada’s Drag Race is Layten Byhette’s stage name. Chelazon (she/he/they) is a two-Spirit Dene First Nations Multidisciplinary Artist. Chelazon’s artistic pursuits include: Drag, stand-up comedy, and social media content creation.

Chelazon Leroux

Classic Roots brings the sexy heartbeat of the boreal north to life with his unique brand of Electronica and pow wow techno. Long Lake 58# First Nation Native is an award-winning producer and DJ who is impacting the music community with his fresh sound and meaningful collaborations with diverse artists.

Classic Roots

Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz empower with positive vibrations & funky rhythms creating culturally inclusive safe spaces. Their debut album Indigifunk was released in 2019. Their single Our Home was released in 2022 with a music video release in 2023. A new full-length album is being recorded 2023.

Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz

Drezus is an Anishinaabe hip hop artist from the Muskowekwan First Nation. The strength of his sound has led him to multiple prestigious awards. Known for packing tour dates across turtle island, Drezus fans see his shows again and again with a fiercely loyal love for his exceptionally-memorable live performances.

From the Biyala woka -Redgum lands of Kaieltheban woka, Yorta Yorta woka DRMNGNOW is an inimitable force of custodial song and story as a Yiyirr from Moorooopna (Place of Deep Water ) with ancestral ties to lands that spread across coastal Worimi country North of Warrane (Sydney) down to the desert country of Wergaia lands south west of Narrm ( Melbourne ) DRMNGNOW is an artist with a grass roots ethic and big picture vision known striking pieces of work that provoke deeper engagement with the true depth of the critical societal role and rightful place of Indigenous peoples within so called Australia and globally.

Dr. Duke Redbird is an elder, poet, activist, educator, and artist. With a legacy stretching back to the 1960s, he is a pillar of First Nations literature in Canada and has practiced a number of art disciplines including poetry, painting, theatre, and film. He was a trailblazer throughout the 60s & 70s giving voice to Indigenous people at major institutions and folk festivals across the country. Dr. Redbird’s most recent collection of poems is titled POETRY.

Duke Redbird

Eagleheart Drummers and Singers are a highly regarded group led by respected elder and cultural leader, Jimmy Dick. Jimmy Dick is from Moose Cree First Nation, a fluent Cree language speaker, pipe carrier, educator, organizer, and Indigenous rights advocate.

Eagleheart Drummers and Singers

Singer-songwriter, director, and activist, Elisapie represents the wild and rough beauty of the North. Her next album set to be released in late 2023 is a journey through her childhood memories as she revisits classics of the rocknroll canon in Inuktitut, her mother tongue, as an offering to the Inuit.

Fawn comes from the treaty 6 territory of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, currently has three solo albums released and most recently was the inaugural winner of the Traditional Artist/Group of the Year at the 2022 JUNO Awards. She currently has three solo albums and numerous awards for her releases.

Garret T. Willie is an old soul masquerading as an uncommonly wise, weathered, witty 22-year-old songwriter, guitar player and vocalist from Campbell River, BC and he's about to give the blues a formidable 21st-century kick where the sun don’t shine. Later this year, Garret T. Willie will release his debut album Same Pain.

Garret T. Willie

Goombine (Richard Scott-Moore) comes from the Yuin Wodi Wodi Nation on the Southeast Coast of Australia. He is a Songman, carrying traditional songs that have been passed down through his bloodline for thousands of years. He has toured around the world sharing songs, stories and dances.

With electronic beats, organic percussion, live guitars and deep harmonies, Huia’s set is a richly layered big bass sound with conscious lyrics in both te reo Māori and touches of English. Producing both solo and collaboratively, her music flows from ambient liquid DnB with Baitercell, through to reggaeton bangers and she has a vibrant and friendly stage presence. She also loves to do small intimate gatherings, keeping it simple with a guitar and her voice.

IA create Indigenous soul music. Their compositions blend old with new and feature the voices found with traditional Māori instruments/taonga pūoro. The puoro voices are blended with modern instruments, ancient poetic writing style and modern soulful melodies. IA have been discovering new frontiers with traditional Māori instruments by using taonga pūoro as the driving force in their creative process. Featuring Moetu Smith, Reti Hedley and Jason Crawford, the New Zealand based band is dedicated to showcasing traditional instruments and te reo Māori in their music with the goal of encouraging others to continue the exploration of taonga pūoro an endangered artform.

Isleña Antumalen is a soul rap singer of Mapuche williche origin belonging to the territory of Puel Willi Mapu or Cuenca del Lago Ranco, lives on a Mapuche island called Isla Huapi, hence her stage name Isleña. She began her musical and composition career in 2018 at the age of 19, exposing social and political content about the Mapuche people with songs such as Grito a Puel mapu, Willi Mapu Taiñ and Con mi piel morena.

Isleña Antumalen

This Oneida Wolf Clan, Six Nations born and bred independent singer/songwriter describes her music as “Indigenous Soul” grown from a passion for making music since she was a little girl. There is no denying the amount of heart Lacey Hill bleeds into all 3 of her albums.

Maimouna Youssef also known as Mumu Fresh is GRAMMY-Nominated, Indigenous Music award winning, 3 X Washington Area Music award (WAMMIE) winning, Musical and Cultural Ambassador for the US State Department, former elected governor of the DC chapter of The Recording Academy, IMAN central roster artist and an Ambassador of The Black Music Collective.

Maimouna Youssef AKA Mumu Fresh

If you've got a yearning for flashy yet classic hard rock, look no further this Calgary-based duo has the guitar hero-worshipping, face-melting, whisky-belting sound you've been seeking. A beloved fixture on the local scene, frontwoman Miesha Louie is the driving force behind Miesha & The Spanks.A mixed-Secwépemc artist living in Treaty 7 Territory, she's devoted her entire career to inventing and playing instrumentally brilliant melodies that unleash her passions and her full-throated vocal tones.

Miesha and The Spanks

NIMKII AND THE NINIIS (NATN) is an Indigenous music collective from Central Ontario, lead by Nimkii Osawamick. NATN specializes in traditional Anishinaabeg drumming and choral singing. Their debut EP Nang Giizhigoong was nominated for Juno Awards of 2022, in the Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year category.

NIMKII & THE NINIIS

To fully immerse in the multitudes of Indigenous rising star Nimkish is to honour the past, look ahead to the future, and bask in the resplendent present all at once. The Vancouver-based marvel-in-the-making is fearless in her lyricism, confronting anti- Indigenous racism and colonial violence alongside other hard subjects like anxiety, grief and heartache. To the great tradition of singer-songwriters healing through their music, Nimkish brings a bright-eyed aim to flourish in all she has experienced.

Olivia Komahcheet is an American composer, producer, musician, and artist whose work spans within spaces of music, visual media, and phantasmagoria. Olivia's touring experience encompasses over 50 live performances throughout the US and Canada that include The NAMM Show, SXSW, House of Blues Las Vegas, International Indigenous Music Summit and The Gathering of Nations. Olivia intertwines a multitude of soundscapes often integrating alternative/indie, experimental art pop and indietronica.

Olivia Komahcheet

Pronounced om-BEE-ga-ZAY, meaning this is noisy is a collaboration between Zoon (Daniel Monkman) and Status/Non Status (Adam Sturgeon), Anishnaabe artists who explore their cultural histories through sound. Their debut album "Sewn Back Together" was released in 2022 with wide-spread critical acclaim that included a Polaris Prize Short-Listing.

Canadian Folk Music Award nominated Singer-songwriter is known as "A Lady of Conviction, Sinclair is a deceivingly quiet and amiable diplomatist. Her passion and advocacy are evident in her nurtured prose, humour, and congeniality.

Phyllis Sinclair

Quanah Style is Canada's most infamous two-spirit trans artist. Hailing from the cree nation. Star of "Quanah TransOp" on wow presents and season 2 of Canada's a Drag on CBC. One part fearless ClubKid and another part powerhouse musician. Ms. Style has blazed a train from coast to coast.

Quanah Style

JUNO Award winner Quique Escamilla, is a Chiapas-born, Zapatista-influenced and a Pan-American artist influenced by diverse musics of the Americas, such as Mexican huapango, cumbia, folk and rock. His music tells social and political stories of resistance against colonizing powers and is designed to decimate racism, borders and xenophobia.

Quique Escamilla

Sara Curruchich was born in 1993 in San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango, in a Mayan Kaqchikel community, in the central highlands of Guatemala. Her people have a long tradition of art and knowledge, as well as a history of resistance and struggle. Her music is thus born from her people’s collective and individual feelings, history, memory, culture, languages and struggles, as well as her own, personal stance as an artist.

Sara Curruchich

Sebastian Gaskin is a multi-instrumentalist R&B singer-songwriter based in Toronto, Canada, who grew up in Tataskweyak Cree Nation, or Split Lake Manitoba as it’s better known. Sebastian writes and self produces music that is anything but formulaic, thanks to eclectic musical tastes in R&B, Hip Hop, Metal,and Punk. The Winnipeg Free Press says: “...think Post Malone mixed with Frank Ocean, all swag and smooth vocals, hits of hip-hop and rap, rounded out with emotive thoughtful lyrics.”.

Sebastian Gaskin

Contemporary roots duo Sechile Sedare (my younger brother-older sister) features Dene sibling songwriters Leela and Jay Gilday. This musical collaboration sees them co-write new repertoire, harnessing their talents as deeply insightful and genuine storytellers. Their voices blend in perfect harmony, hitting notes of nostalgia, hope, humour and reflection.

Sechile Sedare

Nominated twice as Indigenous artist of the year for the prestigious ADISQ awards gala, Shauit sings about the complexity and beauty of the Innu nation. Most of the time in Innu, but sometimes in French, Shauit brings a music that is as festive and unifying as it is introspective and hypnotizing. After a multiple award-winning album that has taken him to more than 7 different countries and to perform some 400 shows, locally, nationally and internationally, Shauit continues his artistic journey and continues to sail towards new artistic oceans.

For 3 decades , brother and sister Jeneda and Clayson Benally have been recording and touring bringing their empowering organic conscious raising charged music to communities throughout Europe and North America. Multi award winning musicians Jeneda and Clayson Benally from the (Dine) Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona create an explosive duo of just bass, drums and vocals with a traditional Navajo backbone bridging folk, rock, world, pop and a little punk.

A member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe of Martha’s Vineyard MA, performing songwriter Thea Hopkins calls her music Red Roots Americana. The Washington Post described Thea as a "standout writer”. In January 2023, she received a grant from the Newport Festivals Foundation. Her song, “The Ghost Of Emmett Till”, was awarded the grand prize by the Great American Song Contest in 2021. Her EP “Love Come Down" was nominated for an Indigenous Music Award in 2019. She's performed at clubs, concert halls and festivals throughout North America and Britain. Her new album is scheduled to be released in January 2024.

Thea Hopkins

At a young age, Tia Wood was already a seasoned entertainer having toured the pow wow trail extensively with her family (some whom are members of Grammy-Award-winning group, Northern Cree). Tia grew up surrounded by educators, activists and artists. Her sister is Juno-Award winning, Fawn Wood and her father famously announces Hockey Night in Canada in Cree. Tia is known for the trend of 'Indigenizing' Tik Tok sounds and has also produced viral content with her mom that is both educational and funny. She has an engaged audience of over 3 million people and was featured in Vogue. Her audience is keen to support her first album release in 2023.

Wolf Castle is a Mikmaq rapper from Pabineau First Nation. Growing up on the reserve with a family of artists, music seemed like the natural choice for Wolf Castle. His music carries an energy and wisdom beyond his years showcasing what it means to be young, indigenous and proud of it.

Wolf Castle

Nehithaw-Dené and Metis poet, scholar and mobilizer Zoey Roy is passionate about bringing stories to life. She has had a pulse on Indigenous movements and settler colonialism since she was a youth and shares her insights, discoveries and stories through performing what she calls: Zoetry.

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