Indigenous Music Development Program at Manitoba Music Launches Good Sounds Artist Residency
May 1, 2025
Five Artists from Manitoba to Connect with Industry Mentors, May 3 – 4
The Indigenous Music Development Program (IMDP) at Manitoba Music is launching the inaugural Good Sounds, a two-day residency for Indigenous artists and musicians in Manitoba. Aimed at creating connections, nurturing growth, and learning more about the art and business of live performance, the pilot project is made possible by the Manitoba Government and Manitoba Film & Music.
Running May 3 – 4, Good Sounds will be held at Grey Buffalo Grandfather Wellness Lodge, a gathering place nestled on 77 acres of forested land stewarded by the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre. Participants will attend professional development workshops throughout the residency and perform their in-progress songs for mentors and peers for feedback.
Good Sounds participants include Red River Métis country singer/songwriter Brandi Vezina, 2 Spirit Anishinaabe country folk/rocker Kristen McKay, Métis and Polish avant-pop artist KWIAT, Métis roots/rock musician Mitchell Makoons, and Cree hip hop/R&B artist and producer Rey.
Mentors sharing their experience and expertise at Good Sounds include sākihiwē festival director and Indigenous Music Office chairperson Alan Greyeyes, JUNO-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen, JUNO-nominated recording artist Desiree Dorion, and Red Music Rising president and lead artist manager Matt Maw.
“It’s so important for emerging artists to have access to mentors to develop their careers and craft in a safe, collaborative way. Creating more opportunities for Indigenous artists and industry to connect with each other is especially important. I’m grateful to have participated in the Indigenous Music Residency when I was starting out and am thrilled to bring that experience to Good Sounds,” says Cassidy Mann, the Indigenous Music Development Coordinator at Manitoba Music.
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.
Brandi Vezina is making waves with her bold storytelling and unapologetic grit. A proud Métis artist from Manitoba, Brandi’s music blends heartfelt narratives, modern country influences, and emotional depth.
Brandi is bringing “”Grit & Glamour Tour” her music across the Boreal forest and prairies. Just in time for the tour, “Country Glam” is here. An anthem for dreamers, rebels, and unapologetic free spirits who refuse to be boxed in. Written by Sarah Elliot, Liz Christensen, Brandi Vezina, and Styles Haury, the song captures the essence of modern outlaw, part Hollywood, and part honky-tonk.
Vezina shares, “It’s an invitation to embrace who you are, shine in your own way, and never let anyone else’s expectations dim your light.”
2024 has been a milestone year for Brandi, with standout performances at BreakOut West and Country Music Week, as well as earning a spot in the Women in Music Canada Entrepreneur Accelerator. She was also honored as the 2024 recipient of the Vince Fontaine Legacy Award.
Her festival performances include Dauphin’s Countryfest, APTN Indigenous Day Live, Festival du Voyageur, and the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival.
Recent singles like “Tornado in a Trailer Park” and “Old Fashioned Values” have landed on SiriusXM Canada’s Indigiverse and Top of the Country, as well as playlists like Boots & Mocs, The Lodge, Indigenous Now, and the Indigenous Music Countdown.
www.brandivezina.com
Born in central Manitoba, Kristen McKay, spirit names Golden Eagle Woman & Sacred Turtle Woman, and from the Bear Clan is a 2 Spirit Anishinaabe Woman from Pine Creek First Nation. Kristen is the Owner/Operator of Kristen McKay Inspirations as well as the lead singer to her band Kristen McKay Music. Kristen is also a Ceremonial Traditional and Contemporary Hand Drum Singer and Hand Drum Maker. Kristen is also an original canvas artist, Jingle Dress Dancer and is also a Sundancer & Ceremonial Buffalo Dancer. Kristen is deeply connected to her spirituality and culture and has adapted a spiritual support analogy of being protected and supported by her 10,000 Grandmothers. This was inspired by Kristen when 215 was announced from the ground search in Kamloops, BC. Kristen is a Grandchild and a daughter of Residential School Survivors, her parents before her attended IRS and her Grandparents before them had also attended IRS. Kristen is also a third-generation day school survivor and intergenerational survivor. In 2023 Kristen followed her long-time dream of becoming a Flourishing Life Coach in Calgary, Ab. This was also followed by her completing Train the Trainer training in Winnipeg, Mb. Currently Kristen is facilitating wellness, healing, education and awareness workshops in First Nation Communities across Turtle Island. Kristen has begun to take a core understanding of the IRS traumas and began a healing journey with these traumas. The understanding and knowledge of IRS has helped Kristen move forward from the pain and grief that once filled her world. Kristen has been able to help others have a more understanding of the IRS traumas and MMIWG2S+ and has been fully willing to sit in with various IRS workshops and conferences held across Turtle Island. Through her original canvas art, she has brought her Anishinaabemowin and Cree languages of her ancestors into the inspirational messaging that is brought to the surfaces of the art Kristen shares with her Relatives. Kristen utilizes her gift to put good things and kind reminders of love, light and wellness into her art. Kristen shares that with all Survivors and their families. The newest endeavour for Kristen is her recent work and time learning how to tan Deer Elk & Buffalo Hides from the fall 2024 hunting harvest. This new reconnection for Kristen McKay Inspirations is to complete the hides for drum making and rattle making workshops. The sound of Mother Earths Heartbeat will echo for the next 7 generations as Kristen as already taken a course of action and launched a new hand drum line called Chitto Biishika Fire Bull Drums by Kristen McKay Inspirations. Kristen is planning on releasing Original Music in 2025 in English & Anishinaabemowin Languages. Kristen’s first complete acoustic music video will also be released in early 2025 supported by Manitoba Music and Kejic Productions.
www.facebook.com/KristenMcKayInspirations#
KWIAT is a Winnipeg-based Métis Polish avant-pop artist celebrated for her genre-defying sound. Inspired by artists like Fiona Apple, and Hayley Williams, her debut music—co-produced with Hawksley Workman and mixed by George Seara—has achieved significant acclaim. Her debut single “Follow The Call” reached the top 10 on SiriusXM’s The Indigiverse, and she earned accolades including the Women in Music Canada Honour Roll in 2023 and a spot in Billboard Canada’s Inaugural Women in Music Industry Spotlight in 2024. KWIAT has captivated sold-out audiences opening for Jim Cuddy and Sam Powell and has showcased her dynamic performances at major events like the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, Festival du Voyageur, and Pride Winnipeg.
www.peaceandkwiat.com
Mitchell Makoons (he/him) is a Roots/Rock musician from Brandon, Manitoba, who currently resides in Winnipeg. At the age of seven, Mitchell began playing the guitar to accompany his grandfather and brother as they played Metis fiddle tunes. Makoons continues to be an active member of the Manitoba Metis community and writes songs that combine traditional Ojibway music and culture with modern influences.
Makoons has toured several times across Western Canada and has begun to break into the Canadian festival scene. In 2024, he performed at Dauphin’s Countryfest, Harvest Sun Music Festival, Gentlefest, and Winnipeg Fringe Festival, to name a few.
Makoons released his debut album “Lady Boots” in April of 2024. Of the 8 tracks on the album, 4 have reached the top 10 on the Indigenous Music Countdown with “Courage” and “Changing Man” becoming his first and second No. 1’s. Mitchell’s music is spun frequently on Canadian and American radio and receives international play on Sirius XM. Since 2022, Makoons has been nominated for 9 Manitoba Country Music Awards and won the Emerging Artist of the Year Award in 2024.
www.mitchellmakoons.com
This multi-talented, creative individual extends her skills to producing her own tracks, songwriting, rapping, singing, and delivering an exceptional performance. She has the ability to seamlessly flow between styles, such as R&B, Soul, Blues/Jazz, and HipHop making for a powerfully unique and thought-provoking experience. A lifetime of overcoming adversity and challenges, having lived through foster care, homelessness, addiction, and mental illness, have inspired the deep sense of purpose that Rey has to her music and the wisdom behind her lyricism
www.instagram.com/reyrosehope
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