Amanda Rheaume
Indigenous Voices, Folk
ActiveAbout
Amanda Rheaume is a Métis folk singer-songwriter born May 25, 1982, in Ottawa, Ontario, and is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario with Métis roots from Red River and Ojibwe/Anishinaabe ancestors from Lac Seul, Ontario. She is the granddaughter of Eugène Rhéaume, one of Canada's first Métis members of parliament. Rheaume is the recipient of the 2024 Spirit of Folk Award, 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year, and the 2023 Capital Music Awards' Album of the Year. She has released six full-length albums to date and has self-managed her independent music career for over 15 years. Her 2013 album "Keep a Fire" was nominated for a JUNO Award and won a Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. As a co-founder of Ishkōdé Records, the International Indigenous Music Summit, and founding board member of the Indigenous Music Office, a commitment to raising Indigenous sovereignty through the medicine of music motivates all of Rheaume's work. As a citizen of the Métis Nation and a proud member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, her music explores themes of identity, Métis heritage, and resistance, with Rheaume becoming a bearer of history, unearthing and preserving Métis stories in song. Her powerful voice and authentic storytelling have made her an important figure in Canadian Indigenous music, using her platform to advocate for Indigenous rights and representation in the music industry.