iskwē (

Cree syllabics Cree syllabics are the versions of Canadian Aboriginal syllabics used to write Cree language, Cree dialects, including the original syllabics system created for Cree and Ojibwe language, Ojibwe. There are two main varieties of syllabics for Cre ...

: , formerly transliterated IsKwé) (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning "blue sky woman" in English) (born Meghan Lynne Meisters, 1981) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.

Personal life

Originally from

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Manitoba, iskwē has lived in Los Angeles, New York City, and Toronto, and now lives in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

."Indigenous artist iskwē shares her inspiration for music"
''

Unreserved ''Unreserved'' is a Canadian radio program, which airs weekly on CBC Radio One.

'', 10 September 2017. iskwē is a

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

and a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation, a federally recognized Métis government.

Career

She released her debut album ''Iskwé'' in 2013. Her debut single "Nobody Knows," produced by

The Darcys The Darcys are a Canadian two-piece art rock band from Toronto, Ontario. Currently independent, the duo was previously signed to a four-album deal with the record label Arts & Crafts.Wheeler, Brad (November 20, 2011)"The Darcys: A new and momen ...

and featured in the Netflix series '' Between'', focused on the

Missing and murdered Indigenous women Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women are instances of violence against Indigenous women in Canada and the United States, notably those in the First Nations in Canada and Native American communities, but also amongst other Indigenous peoples s ...

crisis in Canada. Her second album, ''The Fight Within'', was released in 2017. In 2018, she received a

SOCAN Songwriting Prize The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, SOCAN Songwriting Prize, formerly known as the ECHO Songwriting Prize, was an annual competition recognizing the best in Canadian emerging music, both anglophone and francophone, fro ...

nomination for the song "Healers". ''The Fight Within'' garnered a win at the 2017

Western Canadian Music Awards The ''Western Canadian Music Awards'' (WCMAs) is an annual awards event for music in the western portion of Canada. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of six member music industry organizations from Brit ...

(WCMA) for Electronic/Dance Artist of the Year, she also received a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

nomination for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the

Juno Awards of 2018 The Juno Awards of 2018, honouring Canadian music achievements, were presented in Vancouver, British Columbia during the weekend of 24–25 March 2018. The primary telecast ceremonies were held at Rogers Arena. Vancouver previously hosted the Juno ...

and was longlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. Her third album, ''acākosīk'', was released on 8 November 2019. The album won a Juno Award for Music Video of the Year for the song Little Star directed by Sarah Legault and was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the

Juno Awards of 2020 The Juno Awards of 2020, the 49th Juno Awards, was an awards presentation that was to be held at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on 15 March 2020. The awards and associated events were cancelled due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pa ...

. Her song "Breaking Down" was shortlisted for the 2020 SOCAN Songwriting Prize and the video PRISM Prize. iskwē's fourth album ''The Stars'' was released 5 March 2021 and is a "reimagination" of her album ''acākosīk'' (saying that "the stars" is English for ''acākosīk''.) featuring new arrangements (by

Darren Fung Darren Fung is a Canadian film and television composer based in Los Angeles. He is best known for scoring ''The Great Human Odyssey'', ''Equus: Story of the Horse'', '' Bang Bang Baby'', and '' Canada AM''. Life and career Fung was born in Edmont ...

) of six songs with iskwē accompanied by a trio of piano (Michael Shand), cello (Mariel Gonzalez), and violin (Laura C Bates) recorded live-of-the-floor at Revolution Recording in Toronto and an orchestral arrangement of “Night Danger (Lovers Mix)” recorded with the FILMharmonic Orchestra (Prague).

Discography

*''Iskwé'' (2013) *'' The Fight Within'' (2017) *''acākosīk'' (2019) *''The Stars'' (2021) *''Mother Love'' (2022, with Tom Wilson) *''nīna'' (2024)

Songs

''Iskwé'' Album Tracks * 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 * 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 ''The Stars'' Album Tracks * Little Star (Stars Mix) * Night Danger (Lovers Mix) * Sweet Tuesday (Stars Mix) * Interlude (Stars Mix) * Breaking Down (Stars Mix) * The Unforgotten (Stars Mix)

Awards

* 2020 Juno Winner – Little Star Music Video of the Year * 2020 Juno Nominee – acākosīk for Alternative Album of the Year * 2020 Nominee SOCAN Songwriting Prize - for the song "Breaking Down" * 2020 Nominee PRISM Prize for 'Breaking Down" * 2018 Juno Nominee – The Fight Within Indigenous Album of the Year * 2018 Polaris Prize Long List – The Fight Within * 2017 WCMA Winner – Electronic Artist of the Year * 2017 Winner – REVEAL Indigenous Arts Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iskwe Living people 1981 births Canadian women pop singers Canadian electronic musicians Canadian Métis women Canadian people of Cree descent Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian LGBTQ singer-songwriters Métis musicians Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Singers from Ontario Musicians from Winnipeg 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian women singers Manitoba Métis Federation people Singers from Manitoba