5 Indigenous musicians to know in 2025

Natalie Harmsen · CBC Music

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

To observe National Indigenous History Month, CBC Music has selected 5 emerging Indigenous artists who are carving retired spaces for themselves with their music. 

From soulful singer-songwriters to fiddlers who are embracing people and state to experimental rockers, larn much astir these musicians below.

Caley Watts

Folk singer-songwriter Caley Watts is simply a Saddle Lake Cree Nation instrumentalist with smooth, agleam vocals, creating beautiful, rootsy songs that ooze emotion. As CBC Music shaper Kelsey Adams wrote astir Watts's opus East Wind: "Her arresting vocals glide implicit the pared-back production, until the electrical guitar takes centre signifier successful the song's second fractional with a time-stopping solo." 

Watts has performed astatine some the Winnipeg and Edmonton people festivals, and she precocious took the signifier astatine Road to the Junos earlier this twelvemonth successful Vancouver, singing songs including the country-tinged White Buffalo, arsenic seen successful the video above. In January, she was named the Indigenous ambassador for Spotify Canada, and curated the Indigenous playlist connected the platform. Next up, she volition merchandise her debut album, River's Daughter, which she co-wrote with Juno winners including Serena Ryder, Sebastian Gaskin and more.

Ribbon Skirt

Montreal post-punk rockers Ribbon Skirt, the duo of Anishinaabe vocalist Tashiina Buswa and multi-instrumentalist Billy Riley, released their debut album, Bite Down, successful April. Scoring a 7.7 reappraisal connected Pitchfork and a glowing reappraisal connected Stereogum, the songs hum and wail with shoegaze-y synths and Buswa's edgy vocals assistance each enactment arsenic she sings astir kicking done model panes (Cellophane) and feeling abandoned (Wrong Planet). The medium tackles themes  of idiosyncratic grief and colonialism, and it comes unneurotic done punchy lyrics — "They privation 2000's Buffy Marie/ they privation my quantum truthful they nonstop the police," Buswa sings connected Off Rez — and rich, vivid textures (think: clanging drums, echoing tambourines and crickets chirping).

The set — which has played South by Southwest, Sled Island and much — was formerly known arsenic Love Language. However, adopting a antithetic sanction and a darker, much experimental dependable allowed Buswa to clasp her practice successful a caller way. "I deliberation Indigenous musicians and BIPOC musicians successful wide should besides beryllium capable to marque euphony astir their ain unsocial experiences existing successful the satellite arsenic humans, and I deliberation there's a mode to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt that and making songs that besides honour your civilization and wherever you travel from!" she told Range Magazine.

Thea May

Thea May, an Anishinaabe alt-rock vocalist from Atikameksheng, is signed with Ishkōdé Records (Amanda Rheaume and ShoShona Kish's label) and successful March, she released her debut EP, Brought to You By Tragedy. Her partner's decease inspired the project, and her emotions are palpable connected gut-punch tracks specified arsenic F--k You For Dying, which is astir "the frustrating world of unfinished concern with idiosyncratic you mislaid excessively soon." Her emo, "grief rage" dependable is uniquely her own, amplified by grungey guitars and her roaring vocal show crossed the EP's six songs. Tracks specified arsenic You and Me and Front Row amusement disconnected her piercing timbre, arsenic she brings listeners into a diary of her catharsis.

"What's adjacent is conscionable much euphony and much stories and much existent things," she told CBC News of what's to come. "I deliberation the 1 happening that I emotion is that I'm penning astir existent stuff, and I'm penning astir things that matter." 

Brianna Lizotte

Métis fiddler Brianna Lizotte graduated from MacEwan University with a euphony grade successful 2018, and subsequently signed to the school's label, Bent River Records. It was done the statement that the Edmonton-based instrumentalist released her 2nd album, Winston & I, successful 2024, and the task nabbed her a 2025 Juno information for accepted Indigenous creator of the year. The medium has a colourful range, spanning lively songs for jigging and slow-burning tracks for waltzing. It was named aft Cree fiddler Winston Wuttunee, and Lizotte plays his fiddle connected the project. "The taxable of the medium is my life; it starts astatine 16, erstwhile I wrote a waltz for my grandparents, and that was my mode of showing respect for my household and honouring wherever I came from," she told RD News Now.

Lizotte regularly teaches fiddling and besides gives Métis past workshops connected euphony and creation with her husband, instrumentalist Ethan Graves. Additionally, the mates often posts their delightful jam sessions unneurotic connected societal media.

Brenton David

Métis vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brenton David is champion known for being a banjoist, fiddler and guitarist successful the Juno-winning Canadiana set Tim & the Glory Boys. However, past twelvemonth helium stepped retired connected his ain to merchandise his debut album, The Inner Trail, showcasing his solo state chops. Produced by Juno victor Murray Pulver, the medium is an ode to Selkirk, Man., wherever David grew up: "The Inner Trail was Eveline Street, which runs close on the stream from Selkirk fundamentally to Lower Fort Garry successful town. I conscionable thought this was a truly due sanction for this grounds due to the fact that I wrote each the songs here, surviving connected Eveline Street," helium explained connected the podcast Made successful Manitoba.

Having played the fiddle since helium was 5 years old, David spotlights the instrumentality connected the record, jubilantly weaving it into each track. The mandolin and alloy pedal besides radiance connected songs that archer the stories of houses with creaky beforehand steps and cowgirls successful denim jeans. David's dependable is affluent and twangy, soaring crossed each track: "You privation to look distant but you can't conscionable yet, babe I'm a trainwreck," helium sings connected Trainwreck. The Inner Trail also earned a information for medium of the twelvemonth astatine the Manitoba Country Music Association Awards.