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Aysanabee (Ace-in-abbey) is a two-time JUNO award-winning alternative indie artist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter. He is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote fly-in community in the far reaches of Northwestern Ontario. He now calls Toronto home, and began creating music under his mother’s maiden name when moments of stillness allowed him to slow down and create music that represents him as an artist. On March 23, 2024, Aysanabee made history as the first Indigenous artist to win the JUNO Awards for Alternative Album of the Year and the coveted Songwriter of the Year for his EP Here and Now. He followed up the wins with a memorable performance on the awards show broadcast with a tribute to Robbie Robertson and Gordon Lightfoot.
His debut album Watin (2022), named after his grandfather, includes tracks and interludes featuring the voice of his grandfather that combines music and journalism with ancestry and expression. “Watin actually started as a series of conversations with my grandfather,” says Aysanabee. “We spent the first year of the pandemic talking about things we’ve never spoken about. His life on the trapline....his life in residential school....even though we were 1,000kms apart, it was probably the closest we’ve ever been.”
In addition to his JUNO Awards, Aysanabee has been shortlisted for the Polaris Prize, won 3 Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards, a 2023 Jim Beam Indie Award, and a 2023 Canadian Live Music Award. He has shared the stage with acts such as The National, Sam Roberts Band, Our Lady Peace, Aqua, and more.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Townshend Theatre, Fort Frances High School, 440 McIrvine Rd, Fort Frances, ON P9A 3T8, Canada,Fort Frances, Ontario
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