Singer-songwriter iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning “blue sky woman”) is more than just an artist, she is a teller of stories that have impacted our past and will inform our future. iskwē’s music allows her creativity to soar as she explores a range of ambient sound effects and beats. Her spine-tingling vocals anchor the myriad of sounds, blurring the lines between sources and styles, as well as between the actual, ideal, real, and imagined. Transporting listeners into a world of electronic rhythms and Indigenous sounds as she draws upon her Cree Métis roots, iskwē’s genre-bending catalog includes three full-length albums that span a spectrum of emotions and is powered by resilience.
Her debut 2017 album The Fight Within speaks to self-love in the face of hate and 2019’s acākosīk calls out the systematic abuses against Canada’s Indigenous peoples and features the JUNO award-winning song “Little Star.” Meanwhile, the collaborative 2022 project Mother Love with Tom Wilson is a reflection on the nature of love and culture as the pair’s individual contributions blend together seamlessly. Known for her impactful stage presence as she incorporates dance and multimedia to present a completely engulfing and cathartic experience, iskwē has performed hundreds of shows around the world at iconic locations including New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park’s SummerStage, Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, and London’s Border Crossing Origins Festival in addition to performing for the King and Queen of Sweden. Continuing to mesmerize listeners with her truly incomparable sound, iskwē has received media support from the likes of NPR, Billboard, VICE, and Entertainment Tonight Canada along with CBC who have named her “one of the most powerful performers in the country.” iskwē is gearing up to share the next chapter of her career where she offers a look into the gut-wrenching roller coaster that has been her recent life.
Stay tuned for new music from iskwē coming this year!
