Aysanabee

Aysanabee belongs to the Oji-Cree Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation and works as a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose roots-rock material weaves together folk, pop, soul, and electronic textures. Mainstream recognition arrived in 2022 when he became the first Indigenous Canadian artist to reach number one on both the CBC Music and Alternative Rock charts. His debut album Watin earned nominations for a Juno Award and the Polaris Music Prize.

Northwestern Ontario is his birthplace; to shield himself from local anti-Indigenous prejudice he grew up under the name Evan Pang before restoring his family surname in adulthood. Teenage employment at a mining company preceded college studies in journalism and a subsequent role as digital content creator at CTV News, where he simultaneously played in several bands. Intent on recounting his family’s history, he began issuing original songs that drew the interest of Amanda Rheaume and ShoShona Kish of Digging Roots, the newly established founders of Ishkōdé Records. Aysanabee signed as the label’s first external artist and issued the 2022 singles “We Were Here,” “Ego Death,” and “Nomads.” The last of these tracks, likened to the work of Bon Iver, Sam Smith, and Kings of Leon, registered on Billboard Canada and topped the CBC Music and Alternative Radio charts. Watin followed later that year. Crafted amid the COVID-19 pandemic from recorded conversations with his grandfather, who is heard in spoken interludes, the album received Polaris Music Prize and Juno Award nominations.