Indigenous raw talent join forces in new music
CBC
Two Indigenous artists with lots of raw talent have released a new song and video, collaborating from a distance — one of them in Winnipeg, and the other in Chisasibi in northern Quebec.
Mattmac, a blind Oji-Cree music producer and artist who won the 2023 CBC Searchlight Grand Prize, and Mariame, a Cree-Algerian singer-songwriter from Chisasibi, have released a collaborative song and new video called Find My Love, released Sept. 15.
"For me, it's like therapy. I really enjoy expressing myself through music," said Mariame.
Find My Love is a song about finding and navigating new relationships and was a beat that Mattmac made a while ago and was trying to figure out how to use. The finished song and video were 2.5 years in the making.
"To see the finished product was cool just because we did make the song [in] different locations," said Mattmac, who is from Garden Hill First Nation in Manitoba.
The two artists had been fans of each other's work from a distance, but met for the first time the day they shot the video in Winnipeg.
"It was really fun, really comfortable. It was like riding on a bike, it went so smooth," said Mariame.
Mattmac's music often touches on themes of social pressure, anxiety, and new responsibilities that come with recognition and extreme isolation, among others.
"We all go through some hardships, but I believe that if I'm able to get through it there'll be someone [with an] even greater opportunity to make an impact," said Mattmac, adding that he hopes just his presence on stage will help inspire people.
"Don't let an obstacle hold you back just because you feel like you're in a place where you can't, because if you just go for it, you'll feel better about yourself," said Mattmac.
His most recent album is called Blurred Vision which came out in 2022. His music has over five million streams across all platforms.
The collaboration between Mattmac and Mariame came together through music producer David Hodges, who worked with both artists early in their careers.
Hodges is the founder of N'we Jinan, a music mentorship project providing Indigenous youth a chance to collaborate with professional musicians and music producers.
"[Mattmac] always wanted to have Mariame on a track. He knew that she had such an incredible voice," said Hodges.
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