Aysanabee

Based in Toronto, Aysanabee positions his music between Northern Ontario roots and contemporary songwriting: an Oji‑Cree singer, songwriter, producer and multi‑instrumentalist from the Sucker clan of Sandy Lake First Nation. He has developed a sound that blends indie folk, soul and electronic textures, featuring fingerpicked guitar, saxophone lines and a supple, often deep voice. Aysanabee emerged with Watin (2022), a debut album nourished by conversations with his grandfather and threaded with questions of family memory, identity and heritage, including references to Indigenous residential schools. Released on the Canadian label Ishkōdé Records, the record was included in the Polaris Music Prize selection in 2023. Since then he has moved his songwriting toward broader, more introspective forms and expanded his sonic palette on Here and Now and on Edge of the Earth (2025), where acoustic elements remain central while opening up to denser, more cinematic arrangements. Aysanabee has also appeared at festivals such as Osheaga, the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Ottawa Bluesfest, and has toured with Dan Mangan and Allison Russell.