After launching the permanent exhibition last year, Canada's National Music Centre has shared plans to take its "Speak Up!" showcase online with a few new additions.
Newly featured artists in the exhibit include Igloolik rockers Northern Haze, revered Inuk singer-songwriter Charlie Panigoniak and genre-melding songwriter Kinnie Starr. Those names join the previously announced Tanya Tagaq, Jeremy Dutcher, Iskwé, Willie Dunn, Northern Cree and War Party.
The exhibit's online launch on June 21 will coincide with National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day that celebrates the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
"Music saved me by helping me find my voice," Kinnie Starr shared in a statement. "I've always been an outlier and have learned through music to love that lane. We are all much more unique than others know. As the pressures of social media continue to back us all into little boxes, which we now call "brands", music is still a place where people can put on headphones and just feel their centres, that spot nobody else can name. That's the function of music, to light people up, make them feel strong from the inside."
As previously reported, "Speak Up!" is dedicated to Indigenous musicians from across Canada who have made "social and political impacts" on the country.
"I strongly believe that the 'Speak Up!' exhibition is a great starting point to learn about Indigenous voices that are urgent, beautiful, and truly transcendent," exhibit curator David McLeod added. "For thousands of years, music has played an important and even sacred role within the lives of First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples. Traditional music, languages, and cultural practices have withstood and survived an onslaught of colonialism. 'Speak Up!' celebrates and honours the resiliency, contributions, and stories of 13 artists. It's a thrill to be a part of something so important."
Newly featured artists in the exhibit include Igloolik rockers Northern Haze, revered Inuk singer-songwriter Charlie Panigoniak and genre-melding songwriter Kinnie Starr. Those names join the previously announced Tanya Tagaq, Jeremy Dutcher, Iskwé, Willie Dunn, Northern Cree and War Party.
The exhibit's online launch on June 21 will coincide with National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day that celebrates the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
"Music saved me by helping me find my voice," Kinnie Starr shared in a statement. "I've always been an outlier and have learned through music to love that lane. We are all much more unique than others know. As the pressures of social media continue to back us all into little boxes, which we now call "brands", music is still a place where people can put on headphones and just feel their centres, that spot nobody else can name. That's the function of music, to light people up, make them feel strong from the inside."
As previously reported, "Speak Up!" is dedicated to Indigenous musicians from across Canada who have made "social and political impacts" on the country.
"I strongly believe that the 'Speak Up!' exhibition is a great starting point to learn about Indigenous voices that are urgent, beautiful, and truly transcendent," exhibit curator David McLeod added. "For thousands of years, music has played an important and even sacred role within the lives of First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples. Traditional music, languages, and cultural practices have withstood and survived an onslaught of colonialism. 'Speak Up!' celebrates and honours the resiliency, contributions, and stories of 13 artists. It's a thrill to be a part of something so important."