CBC's Jarrett Martineau will take over hosting duties with singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer as a slate of world-class Indigenous artists takes the stage next month for the CBC Music Indigenous Music Awards.
CBC Music announced a list of performers Tuesday. Redbone's Pat Vegas, Ansley Simpson, Indian City and more will put on a show at the awards in Winnipeg in May.
Martineau is the Cree/Dene host of CBC Music's Reclaimed radio show and co-founded the record label and Indigenous artist collective Revolutions Per Minute. Deer blends an eclectic mix of indie rock and Inuit throat-singing and has produced five studio albums.
Your hosts for this year are... CBC Music's Jarrett Martineau and singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMAwards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IMAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/KEnwQ4UwoK">pic.twitter.com/KEnwQ4UwoK</a>
—@IMAsThe pair will oversee the awards, which are being held in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, men, boys and 2SLGBTQ people.
The hip hop musical stylings of Chase Manhattan (nominated for Best Rap/Hip Hop album) will be on full display, as will the blend of electronic music and First Nation Tlingit dance of Dakhká Khwáan Dancers and DJ DASH (nominated for best Electronic Music Album).
Performing this year is… Chase Manhattan with Theland Kicknosway.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMAwards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IMAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/ygmuxZ0Qj9">pic.twitter.com/ygmuxZ0Qj9</a>
—@IMAsToronto-based singer/songwriter Kristi Lane Sinclair will perform and is nominated for the 2018 Best Rock Album, presented by CBC Manitoba, for her album The Ability to Judge Distance.
Pat Vegas will take home the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of wowing audiences with the group Redbone. The group helped pave the way for younger Indigenous artists to explore culture through music. Redbone's single "Come and Get Your Love" experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years after it was featured in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Tom Wilson (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings) will present the award to Vegas. Wilson discovered he was adopted at the age of 53 and penned a 2017 memoir about his newly discovered Mohawk ancestry, titled Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and the Road Home.
The awards, sponsored by Casinos of Winnipeg, will take place at Club Regent Casino on May 18.