Indigenous North Virtual Showcase at BIGSOUND Australia

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Sebastian Gaskin
Elisapie
Don Amero
Celeigh Cardinal

Indigenous Music West To Present Live Stream Event at First Nations House in Partnership with Spotify Featuring Four Acclaimed Artists from Turtle Island (Canada)
 

Indigenous North returns to BIGSOUND Australia for a virtual showcase featuring stellar singer/songwriters from Turtle Island (Canada) on October 21 at 8:30PM AEST (5:30AM CDT) via bigsound.org.au, registration is required and is FREE.

BIGSOUND First Nations House in partnership with Spotify will host award-winning soul/folk powerhouse Celeigh Cardinal, acclaimed country singer/songwriter Don Amero, Inuk singer/songwriter/broadcaster/filmmaker/activist Elisapie, and multi-instrumentalist R&B artist Sebastian Gaskin.

Presented through the Indigenous Music West program at Manitoba Music and filmed in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg) and the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien'keh:ka of Kahnawà:ke (Montréal), the show offers electrifying performances and interviews for an intimate picture of these outstanding artists.

Launched in 2019, Indigenous Music West is part of a new emphasis on Indigenous music export at Manitoba Music, building on an existing slate of development programs. Made possible by Western Economic Diversification Canada, the program's goal is to deliver compelling and relevant programs to music entrepreneurs who identify as Indigenous from across Western Canada to strengthen business capacity and generate opportunities for export. In the past year, Indigenous Music West has led export development activities in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and across Western Canada.

COVID restrictions may have necessitated changes to the way the music industry does business, but it hasn’t stopped the critical focus on career development and access to markets. The BIGSOUND event is one of several online pivots for Manitoba Music, including several professional development opportunities through Indigenous Music, MusicWorks, the MB Live online concert series, and upcoming export activities through the Francophone Music Program.

For more info, please visit indigenousmusic.ca/bigsound

Register to watch the showcase free at bigsound.org.au/events/indigenous-north.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Celeigh Cardinal
Following a time-tested path from singing in church to performing in cover bands to writing original material, 2020 JUNO Award-winner Celeigh Cardinal has reinvented herself with each new chapter in her career. With a confident voice and boundless energy, Cardinal owns a stage, connecting deeply with her audience through humour, passion and love. Whether sweetly strumming an acoustic guitar or leading her band in a rocking rave-up, she commands our attention. Her singing is rich and deep with a burnished maturity and a nimble technical virtuosity that wraps itself around notes with a purr, a snarl or something in the middle. With two full-length albums completed, and a future release in the planning stages, Cardinal is poised to expand her profile which already includes awards from the 2020 Juno Awards, the 2018 Western Canadian Music Awards, multiple Edmonton Music Awards, and recently she received two nominations for the 2020 Western Canadian Music Awards for Indigenous Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

Don Amero
An engaging storyteller, singer-songwriter and performer, three-time JUNO Award nominee Don Amero has been tirelessly touring, performing and speaking across Canada for the last decade, earning the respect and attention of the Canadian Music industry and fans alike. With a proven ability to effortlessly and genuinely connect with his audience, his talents have been much sought after, and in early 2019 he became a part of the MDM Recordings Inc. roster. He has also been recognized for his work as an amplifier of Indigenous thought and ideas. Amero, who is of Cree and Metis heritage, hopes to continue the work being done when it comes to building bridges between all communities in Canada. “Music Lover”, his debut single after signing with MDM Recordings Inc.

Elisapie
Elisapie is an impressive musician, filmmaker, and writer from Salluit, Nunavik, QC. Based out of Montreal, QC she has been performing as a musician since 1998, first in the band Taima and then as a solo artist. Elisapie's first solo album There Will Be Stars (2009) was an ode to the North and led to a 150-date North American tour. Isaac mixes English, French, and Inuktitut into her work. Recently, Elisapie was a 2019 Polaris Music Prize shortlist artist for her album The Ballad of the Runaway Girl (2019).

Sebastian Gaskin
Sabastian Gaskin is a multi-instrumentalist R&B singer-songwriter based in Winnipeg, Canada, who grew up in Tataskweyak Cree Nation, or Split Lake as it’s better known. Gaskin writes and self produces music that is anything but formulaic, thanks to his eclectic musical tastes in R&B, hip hop, metal, and punk. Following the release of his debut EP, Contradictions, on his own imprint, LieBoy Concepts, Gaskin made some impressive strides. He headlined a cross-Canada club tour, and made appearances at established festivals throughout the country. He has supported artists like Common, T-Pain, and has toured supporting the iconic songwriter and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie. Gaskin frequently collaborates with DJ and producer, Boogey the Beat. Gaskin’s newest single “Snakehold” is the beginning of a new sound from this exciting young artist who is quickly finding his footing and his voice on the R&B stage.

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