Manitoba Music
Manitoba Indigenous North Returns for Export Activity in Australia
Two Artists from Manitoba to Showcase at BIGSOUND
Two Indigenous artists from Manitoba will take centre stage at a Manitoba Indigenous North showcase in Australia next month. Supported through the Manitoba Music Export and Indigenous Music Development programs at Manitoba Music, the export-ready music entrepreneurs will perform for and connect with key industry players to build their music businesses beyond borders.
Soulful Franco-Manitoban and Red River Métis singer/songwriter Andrina Turenne and indie folk/pop artist FONTINE, queer and Indigenous musician of Nehiyaw Iskwew heritage, will head across oceans to the BIGSOUND Festival & Conference in Brisbane, which is home to the Yuggerra, Turrbal, and Jagera Peoples, who are the Traditional Owners of territories including the city of Brisbane. Manitoba Music will host an afternoon showcase on September 4 at the JBL Live at BIGSOUND Stage.
The showcase is part of Goolwal Goolwal, the First Nations curated and led program at BIGSOUND dedicated to empowering and amplifying Indigenous voices.
Manitoba Music presented a showcase at BIGSOUND in 2019 through the Indigenous Music West program and returned for a virtual showcase in 2020 in partnership with Spotify.
Bringing Manitoba music to new markets and intensifying business activity in existing and new markets is a key component of Manitoba Music's trade and business development activities. Manitoba Music Export and Market Access are funded by The Manitoba Government, FACTOR and the Government of Canada, and Manitoba Film & Music. Through events like these, Manitoba Music is able to increase the connection between our province’s music industry and the broader national and international industry, which is vital to the career advancement of Manitoba artists and industry professionals, and contributes to the growth and development of Manitoba’s economy.
The IMDP was launched in 2004 to support First Nation, Inuit, and Métis artists and music companies develop sustainable careers in the music industry. The program delivers projects and services that respond to the needs of the industry as identified by a steering committee. The IMDP is supported by The Manitoba Government, Manitoba Film & Music, and FACTOR and Canada’s private radio broadcasters.
Andrina Turenne is a woman with more than one ace in her pocket, telling stories through song, delivered in the spirit of road trips, kitchen parties, and bonfire gatherings. In April of 2023, the Juno award-winning Franco-Manitoban/Red River Métis artist released her first solo record, Bold as Logs. The bilingual, spirited debut has charted on independent radio in Canada and the US. It was followed up with Je suis un arbre, a francophone EP released in Spring 2024 amidst performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Festival International de Louisiane.
Andrina observes life and all its characters with a loving eye, and tells their stories with an honest hand. After decades performing with various groups, she now embraces a solo chapter. She sings in two languages, she has her feet firmly planted in more than one genre, and she is just as comfortable standing atop the Canadian Shield as she is lazing by a South Louisiana cypress swamp. She is a powerful musician and vocalist who can rattle the roof, and she is simultaneously a hushed troubadour who’ll have you smiling through tears. Turenne is an artist who sings and plays with the real excitement of discovery and the wild freedom that comes with blazing new paths.
Indie-folk/pop artist FONTINE from Winnipeg, MB, is making waves. A queer and Indigenous musician of Nehiyaw Iskwew heritage, her debut EP, co-produced with friends Kris Ulrich and mixed by Boy Golden, dropped in February this year. Inspired by the prairies and the Winnipeg music scene, her music is a fusion of culture and creativity. FONTINE's single "Homemaker" reached number one on the Indigenous Music Countdown, and she recently graced CBC's "The Intro" stage. With roots in her heritage and her home, FONTINE's music is a captivating journey