iskwē

Waseskwan Iskwew (English: "Blue Sky Woman"),[2] (born Meghan Meisters,[3] 1986/1987), known mononomously as iskwē (Cree syllabics: ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ, formerly transliterated IsKwé) is an Indigenous singer-songwriter and activist of Cree, Dené and Irish heritage.[4] She received a Juno Award nomination for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018 and was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize for her second album The Fight Within.[5]

iskwē
Birth nameMeghan Meisters
Born1986/1987 (age 33–34)[1]
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
OriginHamilton, Ontario, Canada
Genreselectropop, indie electronic, downtempo, trip hop, post-rock
Occupation(s)singer-songwriter
Websiteiskwe.com

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, iskwē has lived in Los Angeles, New York City, and Toronto, and lives now in Hamilton, Ontario.[4]

Bridging cross-cultural aesthetics while exploring her own struggle to both fit into and break away from modern Western archetypes has been an important part of iskwē's artistic vision since the release of her WCMA nominated self-titled debut album.[6] She released her debut album Iskwé in 2013.[7] Her debut single "Nobody Knows," produced by Juno Award nominees The Darcys and featured in the Netflix series Between, turned a spotlight on the more than 1200 missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.[6]

iskwē garnered a win at the 2017 Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMA) for Electronic/Dance Artist of the Year and her 2017 album The Fight Within recently received a JUNO nomination for Indigenous Music Album of the Year.[6] She followed up with a number of singles before releasing The Fight Within in 2017.[8] In 2018, she received a SOCAN Songwriting Prize nomination for the song "Healers".[9]

iskwē's third album, acākosīk, was released on 8 November 2019.[10] The album was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020,[11] and her song "Breaking Down" was shortlisted for the 2020 SOCAN Songwriting Prize.[12]

Discography

Songs

Iskwé Album Tracks[13]

  • iNewYork
  • So Over You
  • Recycle ft M1 of Dead Prez
  • Another Love Song (remix)
  • Wandering (remix)
  • One Better
  • Midnight
  • Another Love Song
  • Not Today
  • Slack Jaw

The Fight Within Album Tracks[14]

  • Ice Walker
  • Soldier
  • Healers
  • The Storm
  • Will I See
  • Disturbed
  • Nobody Knows
  • Sometimes ft. Keolya
  • Say It Sweet

acākosīk Album Tracks

  • Intro
  • Breaking Down
  • The Unforgotten
  • Little Star
  • Interlude
  • Sweet Tuesday
  • Night Danger

Awards
  • 2018 Juno Nominee – Indigenous Album of the Year[6]
  • 2017 WCMA Winner – Electronic Artist of the Year[6]
  • 2017 Winner – REVEAL Indigenous Arts Award[6]

References
  1. @CBCNews (30 June 2018). "Iskwé, 31, is a singer-songwriter based in Hamilton, Ont., who hopes her songs can be a catalyst for discussion about issues affecting Indigenous women in Canada." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. Karen Bliss (13 February 2019). "iskwē Takes on Callous Coverage of Indigenous Youth Murders In 'Little Star': Video Premiere". Billboard.com.
  3. "Indigenous musician's Facebook page suspended for using traditional name". CBC.ca. 16 October 2015.
  4. "Indigenous artist iskwē shares her inspiration for music". Unreserved, 10 September 2017.
  5. "Arcade Fire and Daniel Caesar lead 2018 Juno Award nominations". CBC Music, 6 February 2018.
  6. "Iskwé". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  7. "Iskwé’s fight for the greater good". The Coast, 9 November 2017.
  8. "First Play: Iskwé, The Fight Within". CBC Music, 26 October 2017.
  9. "2018 SOCAN Songwriting Prize Nominees Revealed". Exclaim!, 24 May 2018.
  10. Graham Rockingham, "Hamilton-based singer-songwriter shares her journey of Indigenous self-discovery with new album". Hamilton Spectator, 6 November 2019.
  11. Melody Lau, "Alessia Cara and Tory Lanez lead the 2020 Juno nominations". CBC Music, 28 January 2019.
  12. Allie Gregory, "SOCAN Announces 2020 Songwriting Prize Finalists". Exclaim!, July 16, 2020.
  13. "iskwe, by iskwe". iskwe. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  14. "The Fight Within, by iskwe". iskwe. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
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