About
In a genre characterized by anthems of underdogs, assumptions and unfair advantages, Amanda Rheaume’s sound and story crucially and radically expand geographic and cultural boundaries to make space for new perspectives on resistance and resilience. As a Métis Nation of Ontario citizen and an active and proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Rheaume’s music is indeed from the heart and the land.
About Amanda Rheaume
At the start of every show, whether on stage in Chile or Australia, Rheaume introduces herself as a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario whose Red River roots run deep, interwoven with Anishinaabe relatives from Lac Seul and mixed settler relations. Unfamiliar as some of these places may be to her audience, her introduction is both a greeting and a foundation, situating Rheaume and her songs in multifold lineages of family and community.
In Rheaume’s music, songs of resistance and resilience travel centuries. With a gentle yet unflinching touch, Rheaume has grown to be a chronicler of stories and people whose acts – out of necessity and opportunity alike – cascade through time and space, from the 18th century Red River Settlement to her own doorstep. With curiosity and empathy, Rheaume has become a bearer of history, unearthing and preserving Métis stories in song. In her gutsy guitar-driven style, punctuated with lively Métis fiddle, Rheaume’s heartland rock is built to last, resolute in rhythm and unswerving in purpose.
For her newest album, The Truth We Hold, Rheaume traveled across the homelands, visiting communities and individuals whose collective experiences make up a living history of Métis joy, strength and struggle. From Northwest Ontario to rural Saskatchewan, Rheaume’s new collection explores moments that have shaped Métis history, from landmark court battles to silenced injustices, transmitting a message of interconnectedness that dissolves geographical and historical distances.
The recipient of the 2024 Spirit of Folk Award, 2023 Canadian Fold Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year and the 2023 Capital Music Awards’ Album of the Year, Rheaume has released six full-length albums to date. Beyond recording and touring, Rheaume continues her ever-expanding role as an essential advocate of Indigenous music infrastructure and community. As a co-founder of Ishkode Records and 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.
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