Innu singer Kanen is often prone to questioning her musical style, but the two Félixes she just won at ADISQ confirm she’s on the right track.
“I learned everything on my own, so I was very unsure whether I should follow my instincts or stick to codes and trends,” says Kanen, who left ADISQ’s last gala with Revelation and Indigenous Artist of the Annual Statuettes.
“It confirms to me that my gut feeling was good and it comes at a good time in my life,” she says happily the day after her harvest at the Place des Arts in Montreal.
Innu style
Kanen is originally from Uashat Mak Mani-utenam, an Innu community near Sept-Îles on the north coast. He grew up with a love of music that was anything but characterized by a thirst for success.
“No matter what house you went to, everyone was playing guitar and singing,” she remembers. It was always a spirit of sharing, joy and coming together,” explains the woman, who attended her first shows as a child during the Innu Nikamu Festival in Mani-utenam.
It is this instinctive love for music and creation that led the singer to follow her instincts, as Florent Vollant and the group Maten did before her.
Kanen wasn’t the only Innu Nation standard-bearer to take his place at Wilfrid-Laurier Hall on Sunday evening. In fact, with the exception of Atikamekw singer Pako, all of the indigenous artists in the running were products of Nitassinan – the name of the Innu ancestral territory that stretches from the north coast to Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.
“I found it very moving; “We almost all come from the same community and grew up with the same inspirations,” she says. We support each other in our respective careers and are happy that we can do what we do, and in our language no less,” adds the woman, who combines Innu-aimun with French and English in her creations.
Validated by his idols
Louis-Jean Cormier and Kanen Photo courtesy of shuen_photo
Kanen presented his first solo album entitled “Mitshuap” and its deluxe version a few months apart in 2023. To this end, she surrounded herself with Louis-Jean Cormier and Safia Nolin; two artists who opened her eyes to Quebec music as a teenager.
“Working with names like these is still something completely new for me,” says the singer modestly. I am very grateful and consider myself privileged. They encourage me to remain curious in my process.”