Exclaim! New Faves alum Mattmac has won the Grand Prize from this year's Canada's Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program.
The 10th annual iteration of the distinguished program that serves to elevate aspiring Canadian musical artists also recognized Toronto's Jordan Hart as the Second Prize winner, as well as Brantford's Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Orillia's Cassie Dasilva and Gatineau's Mindflip as finalists.
Hailing from Garden Hill First Nation, Matthew Monias (a.k.a. Mattmac) has made a name for himself as an artist and producer, known for his poppy delivery of heartfelt lyrics over melodic trap beats, even working with icons like Nelly Furtado since launching his career in 2016.
As the Grand Prize winner, the self-taught Oji-Cree artist will receive a cash prize of $20,000, opportunities to perform at Canada's Walk of Fame events, and recording time at Toronto's renowned Metalworks Studios.
"Winning this award will open doors in the music industry that will take me to the next level of my career, and I'm so grateful," Mattmac shared in a release. "Coming from a small reserve in northern Manitoba, opportunities like this aren't readily available, and I hope that this incredible recognition will inspire others to know that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to."
He added, "Big shout out to Canada's Walk of Fame, the judges and RBC for providing me this platform to show young people what they can achieve if they work for their dreams."
Last year, Mattmac was nominated for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and released "Run It" in collaboration with Caid Jones.
The 10th annual iteration of the distinguished program that serves to elevate aspiring Canadian musical artists also recognized Toronto's Jordan Hart as the Second Prize winner, as well as Brantford's Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Orillia's Cassie Dasilva and Gatineau's Mindflip as finalists.
Hailing from Garden Hill First Nation, Matthew Monias (a.k.a. Mattmac) has made a name for himself as an artist and producer, known for his poppy delivery of heartfelt lyrics over melodic trap beats, even working with icons like Nelly Furtado since launching his career in 2016.
As the Grand Prize winner, the self-taught Oji-Cree artist will receive a cash prize of $20,000, opportunities to perform at Canada's Walk of Fame events, and recording time at Toronto's renowned Metalworks Studios.
"Winning this award will open doors in the music industry that will take me to the next level of my career, and I'm so grateful," Mattmac shared in a release. "Coming from a small reserve in northern Manitoba, opportunities like this aren't readily available, and I hope that this incredible recognition will inspire others to know that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to."
He added, "Big shout out to Canada's Walk of Fame, the judges and RBC for providing me this platform to show young people what they can achieve if they work for their dreams."
Last year, Mattmac was nominated for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and released "Run It" in collaboration with Caid Jones.
