What is beautiful about Kanen, in addition to her tender voice, is the way she has of writing luminous or sad songs without them falling into excess of optimism or pity. Weighed words, correct interpretation: here mitshuap (“house”, in Innu-aimun), a remarkably sincere album, sung in French and in the language of her ancestors, in which the folk-pop that rocked the musician leaves a little more room for the electric guitars of her loves. indie-rock. The young singer-songwriter is inspired by the work of Phoebe Bridgers, Louis-Jean Cormier and the Boulay Sisters.
The title of the album, also that of one of its twelve pretty songs, encapsulates the theme. “Talking about the album, I always say that mitshuap exemplifies the feeling of being safe, of being yourself, says Kanen. Like when you’re at home. Being at home, in Maliotenam, or at home in my 5 and a half in Villeray; it’s being with friends, it can also be a moment where I feel safe. »
Then there is the song. mitshuap is heavy with meaning. One of the sad scattered among the luminous, “a reminder that not everyone is lucky enough to live in safety, in their home. This is the case today, in Quebec, in Canada, it still happens and nothing changes, regrets Kanen. I was starting to work on this album when Joyce Echaquan died, this Atikamekw woman who died in appalling circumstances at the Lanaudière hospital center in the fall of 2020. “It really traumatized me; at the same time, bodies were also being discovered at the sites of former Indian residential schools. »
It’s all in mitshuap. Not in detail, this disc is neither a chronicle nor an indictment, not in the denunciation, but in the impact that these revelations had on Kanen. ” That’s it, mitshuap : seek to feel safe, at peace, at home, in all this chaos. The song appears at the end of the album, just before fuck that shit, in English in the title, in French in the text. We notice the title hoping to hear a hardcore discharge. Kanen releasing his anger.
It’s hard to know it: the rhythm is more sustained, more rock if it has to be compared to the rest of the album, but it’s not a stress reliever. ” Anger ? I’m more of a quiet force, suggests the musician. This song carries the message of resilience. I just want people to listen to my words. I did everything for us, for our cause, but no one listens to me because nothing changes. But I will continue on my side to fight. I won’t give up, I don’t know sickness. I continue to live, to fight, our fights”, that is what she means.
If there is any justice, this first album will carry his voice to a new audience. Two years after a first mini-album, also published by Musique Nomade, the former competitor of Les Francouvertes has taken the lead, insurance “because I made this album surrounded by a great team, people who listened a lot. After several years of putting on this show, then this album, after several years of discovering me, they understood me. »
We salute the work of co-director Simon Walls. In his Verdun studio (Sophronik), he has worked on several projects for the Musique Nomade label, whose mission is to showcase the talent of First Nations artists. It is in particular he who signs the realization of Waska Matisiwinthe excellent album by Atikamekw singer-songwriter Laura Niquay, crowned Aboriginal language album of the year at the last Gala de l’ADISQ.
“I met him through his work at Musique Nomade,” says Kanen. I appreciate his humanity, his passion, and his ability to listen — I think that’s what artists particularly appreciate about him. He listened to me, he tries to shape our ideas, that’s the fun. He traveled a lot in the communities to get closer to the artists, he needs this human contact. »
From the esteemed success of the first three songs released by Kanen in 2021, Simon Walls and his team have found the perfect setting for the news, a sophisticated, but unvarnished folk, or a tasteful indie rock song. “We took a slightly different path than the one we had taken for the mini-album, very folk and pop, analyzes Kanen. For this album, we are going elsewhere, towards indie rock, a genre that I really like, but I didn’t know where to start to get there. All the musicians got on board with me and supported me on the themes that I address on the album”, feminism, Innu identity, attachment to the territory, for example in Nimueshtaten nete (I miss there)duet with Louis-Jean Cormier.
“For me, it would be my life’s dream to one day make an album sung entirely in Innu-aimun, a language that I gradually lost throughout my childhood and adolescence,” says Kanen, explaining the choice of a bilingual album. “But I also wanted to speak to Francophones. I hope they will listen to my story, our story, and that they understand what it is to be Innu, and Innu in an urban setting. »