iskwē
{{Short description|Canadian singer-songwriter (born 1981)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = iskwē
| image =
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| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name = Meghan Lynne Meisters
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1981}}
| birth_place = Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| origin = Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| genre = {{hlist|Electropop|indie electronic|downtempo|trip hop|post-rock}}
| occupation = singer-songwriter
| years_active =
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| website = {{URL|iskwe.com}}
}}
iskwē (Cree syllabics: {{lang|cr|ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ}}, formerly transliterated IsKwé) (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning "blue sky woman" in English){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8498237/iskwe-little-star-video|title=iskwē Takes on Callous Coverage of Indigenous Youth Murders In 'Little Star': Video Premiere|author=Karen Bliss|date=13 February 2019|website=Billboard.com}} (born Meghan Lynne Meisters,{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/indigenous-musician-s-facebook-page-suspended-for-using-traditional-name-1.3271562|title=Indigenous musician's Facebook page suspended for using traditional name|website=CBC.ca|date=16 October 2015}} 1981) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.{{Cite web|url=https://thewalrus.ca/remembrance-iskwe/|title=Remembrance, by iskwe|website=The Walrus|date=9 November 2018 |access-date=11 March 2021}}
Personal life
Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, iskwē has lived in Los Angeles, New York City, and Toronto, and now lives in Hamilton, Ontario.[http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/indigenous-artist-iskw%C3%A9-shares-her-inspiration-for-music-1.4123871 "Indigenous artist iskwē shares her inspiration for music"]. Unreserved, 10 September 2017.
iskwē is a Cree Métis and a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation, a federally recognized Métis government.{{cite news |last1=Loo |first1=Olivea |title=The blue sky woman "Iskwē" performs new music live in Toronto |url=https://toronto.elmntfm.ca/blog/2023/12/15/singer-iskwe-performing-new-music-at-the-td-music-hall/ |access-date=25 February 2024 |work=106.5 ELMNT FM Toronto (CFPT-FM) |date=15 December 2023}}
Career
She released her debut album Iskwé in 2013.[https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/iskwes-fight-for-the-greater-good/Content?oid=10723384 "Iskwé’s fight for the greater good"]. The Coast, 9 November 2017. Her debut single "Nobody Knows," produced by The Darcys and featured in the Netflix series Between, focused on the Missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis in Canada.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/pg/iskweMUSIC/about/?ref=page_internal|title=Iskwé|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=18 May 2018}}
Her second album, The Fight Within, was released in 2017.[http://www.cbcmusic.ca/first-plays/567/first-play-iskwe-the-fight-within "First Play: Iskwé, The Fight Within"]. CBC Music, 26 October 2017. In 2018, she received a SOCAN Songwriting Prize nomination for the song "Healers".[http://exclaim.ca/music/article/2018_socan_songwriting_prize_nominees_revealed "2018 SOCAN Songwriting Prize Nominees Revealed"]. Exclaim!, 24 May 2018. The Fight Within garnered a win at the 2017 Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMA) for Electronic/Dance Artist of the Year, she also received a Juno Award nomination for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018 and was longlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize.[http://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/junos-news/arcade-fire-and-daniel-caesar-lead-2018-juno-award-nominations-1.4520940 "Arcade Fire and Daniel Caesar lead 2018 Juno Award nominations"]. CBC Music, 6 February 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://polarismusicprize.ca/2018-nominees/ |title= 2018Polaris Music Prize Longlist|website=polarismusicprize.ca|date= 18 February 2019|access-date=11 March 2021}}
Her third album, acākosīk, was released on 8 November 2019.Graham Rockingham, [https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9679958-hamilton-based-singer-songwriter-shares-her-journey-of-indigenous-self-discovery-with-new-album/ "Hamilton-based singer-songwriter shares her journey of Indigenous self-discovery with new album"]. Hamilton Spectator, 6 November 2019. The album won a Juno Award for Music Video of the Year for the song Little Star directed by Sarah Legault{{Cite web|url=https://junoawards.ca/full-list-2020/|title=2020 Juno Award Winners, by|website=Juno awards|access-date=11 March 2021|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204134648/https://junoawards.ca/full-list-2020/|url-status=dead}} and was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.Melody Lau, [https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/news/alessia-cara-and-tory-lanez-lead-the-2020-juno-nominations-1.5436386 "Alessia Cara and Tory Lanez lead the 2020 Juno nominations"]. CBC Music, 28 January 2019. Her song "Breaking Down" was shortlisted for the 2020 SOCAN Songwriting Prize and the video PRISM Prize.Allie Gregory, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/socan_announces_2020_songwriting_prize_finalists "SOCAN Announces 2020 Songwriting Prize Finalists"]. Exclaim!, July 16, 2020.
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.{{Cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/iskwe_the_stars_ep_album_review|title=iskwē Swaps Out Electro-Pop Immediacy for Orchestral Haunt on 'The Stars' EP, by Alisha Mughal|website=exclaim.ca|access-date=1 March 2021}}) featuring new arrangements (by Darren Fung) 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{{Cite web|url=http://www.revolutionrecording.com/|title=Revolution Recording|website=revolutionrecording.com|access-date=11 March 2021}} in Toronto and an orchestral arrangement of “Night Danger (Lovers Mix)” recorded with the FILMharmonic Orchestra (Prague).{{Cite web|url=https://www.musa.cz/filmharmonic-orchestra.htm/|title=FILMharmonic Orchestra|website=musa.cz/filmharmonic-orchestra.htm|access-date=11 March 2021|archive-date=18 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218090445/https://www.musa.cz/filmharmonic-orchestra.htm|url-status=dead}}
Discography
- Iskwé (2013)
- The Fight Within (2017)
- acākosīk (2019)
- The Stars (2021)
- Mother Love (2022, with Tom Wilson)
- nīna (2024){{Cite web|url=https://spillmagazine.com/spill-new-music-iskwe-announces-new-album-nina-shares-waiting-for-the-laughter/|title=Spill New Music: iskwē Announces New Album nīna + Shares "Waiting for the Laughter"|author=Spill Magazine Staff|date=January 11, 2024|publisher=Spill Magazine|work=Spill New Music|accessdate=March 6, 2024}}
Songs
Iskwé Album Tracks{{Cite web|url=https://iskwe.bandcamp.com/album/iskwe|title=iskwe, by iskwe|website=iskwe|access-date=18 May 2018}}
- 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{{Cite web|url=https://iskwe.bandcamp.com/album/the-fight-within|title=The Fight Within, by iskwe|website=iskwe|access-date=18 May 2018}}
- Ice Walker
- Soldier
- Healers
- The Storm
- Will I See
- Disturbed
- Nobody Knows
- Sometimes ft. Keolya
- Say It Sweet
acākosīk Album Tracks{{Cite web|url=https://iskwe.bandcamp.com/album/ac-kos-k|title=acākosīk, by iskwe|website=iskwe|access-date=11 March 2021}}
- Intro
- Breaking Down
- The Unforgotten
- Little Star
- Interlude
- Sweet Tuesday
- Night Danger
The Stars Album Tracks{{Cite web|url=https://iskwe.bandcamp.com/album/the-stars|title=The Stars, by iskwe|website=iskwe|access-date=11 March 2021}}
- 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{{Cite web|url=https://junoawards.ca/full-list-2020/|title=2020 Juno Award Winners, by|website=Juno awards|access-date=11 March 2021|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204134648/https://junoawards.ca/full-list-2020/|url-status=dead}}
- 2020 Juno Nominee – acākosīk for Alternative Album of the Year{{Cite web|url=https://junoawards.ca/full-list-2020/|title=2020 Juno Award Winners, by|website=Juno awards|access-date=11 March 2021|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204134648/https://junoawards.ca/full-list-2020/|url-status=dead}}
- 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
{{reflist|30em}}
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Category:Canadian women pop singers
Category:Canadian electronic musicians
Category:Canadian people of Cree descent
Category:Canadian people of Irish descent
Category:Canadian LGBTQ singer-songwriters
Category:Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario
Category:Musicians from Winnipeg
Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century Canadian women singers