Aysanabee

“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. His music has been compared to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Don Ross, Kim Churchill, Kings of Leon, and Sam Smith, but he’s truly an original Canadian voice.

His debut album Watin (2022) was named after his grandfather and shortlisted for the Polaris Prize. “Watin actually started out as a series of conversations between myself and my grandfather,” Aysanabee said. “We spent the first year of the pandemic talking about things we’ve never spoken about, his life on the trapline on Sandy Lake First Nation, falling in love, his life in residential school and then leaving everything behind… we never spoke of it until now. Even though we were over 1,000 kilometres apart, it was probably the closest we’ve ever been.”

On March 23, 2024, Aysanabee made history as the first ever Indigenous Artist to win the JUNO Awards for Alternative Album of the Year and Songwriter of the year, for Here and Now, his sophomore album. This year he won JUNOs for both Alternative Album and Indigenous Artist of the Year for his 2025 album Edge of the Earth.  – EL

FRIDAY 6:00 – 7:10pm Main Stage
SATURDAY 11:00 – 12:10pm Eastern Sunrise South Stage