National Music Centre Names Participants of 2025 OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator for Indigenous Artists

Showcase and reception with selected artists happens on Sept. 17

(Calgary, AB — August 19, 2025) The National Music Centre (NMC) is excited to announce that Beaatz, Beatrice Love, Brandi Vezina, Damase Elis, Lacey Hill, Raven Reid, and Uncle Trent and Friends have been selected as participants in the OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator program for Indigenous musicians. The program kicks off next month and will feature a live showcase and reception on September 17 at Studio Bell.

Beaatz is an award-winning Indigenous artist and producer from Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick, and a prominent figure in East Coast music. With years of experience and deep roots in hip-hop, he is best known as a founding member of the acclaimed group City Natives.

Cree soul-pop singer-songwriter Beatrice Love, who hails from Treaty 8 territory and belongs to the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and Horse Lake First Nation, has appeared as a contestant on Canada’s Got Talent, and describes her music as the sonic love child of James Brown and Janis Joplin.

Brandi Vezina is a Métis singer-songwriter from Manitoba who blends heartfelt narratives and unapologetic grit with modern country influences.

With Métis and Colombian roots, Calgary folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Damase Elis channels her cultures and queer identity through her music.

Hailing from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in southwestern Ontario, Lacey Hill describes her music as “Indigenous Soul,” full of heart and shaped by years of growth and exploration.

Indigenous folk singer-songwriter Raven Reid, originally from the Mikisew Cree First Nation in the Northwest Territories and now based in Saskatoon, is best known for her raw, emotional lyrics inspired by her experiences as a Sixties Scoop survivor.

Led by Cowessess First Nation country-roots artist Trent Agecoutay, Uncle Trent and Friends brings together a collective of musicians with a shared passion for creating music that resonates.

“Bringing together artists from a wide range of styles highlights the vast amount of community talent that is thriving. The OHSOTO’KINO programming will help elevate their chances of success in reaching both their personal goals and those within the music industry,” said David McLeod (Minegoziibe Anishinabe, formerly Pine Creek First Nation, Treaty 4), NMC Board Member and Chair of NMC's National Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee. “We’re excited to welcome this year’s mentors and are eager to hear the ideas, collaborations, and inspiration that will rise from bringing everyone together in such a good way. The OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator has been a force in supporting Indigenous musicians, and it’s wonderful to see it thrive thanks to TD.”

The selected artists will converge at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in Mohkinstsis (Calgary), for five days to learn new skills, connect with music industry experts from across the country, and hone their craft and professional chops. Artists for the music incubator were selected by NMC’s National Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee, which includes First Nation, Métis and Inuit representation, and acts as a guiding voice for NMC Indigenous programs and content.

Launched in early 2022 and recently renewed for another three years, OHSOTO’KINO is an Indigenous programming initiative supported by TD that emphasizes three key pillars: creating new music in NMC’s recording studios, fostering artist development through a music incubator program, and amplifying Indigenous voices through storytelling in NMC’s exhibitions, including the annually updated Speak Up! gallery and NMC’s online platform, Amplify. The name OHSOTO’KINO, a Blackfoot phrase meaning ‘to recognize a voice of,’ honours the Blackfoot people and the land on which the National Music Centre stands.

Earlier this year, singer-songwriter Raymond Sewell and powwow and round dance artist Marlon Deschamps were awarded OHSOTO’KINO Recording Bursaries, granting them the opportunity to record a commercial album at Studio Bell. In June, the Speak Up! exhibition was also updated to feature a new lineup of Indigenous trailblazers, including Beatrice Deer, Dakhká Khwáan Dancers, Ray St. Germain, Harry Rusk, and Kelly Fraser. The current exhibition will be on display until June 2026.

The OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator Showcase and Reception takes place on September 17 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $10 or $5 for NMC Members. Visit studiobell.ca/whats-on to get your tickets or to become an NMC Member and save on events, visit studiobell.ca/members.

About National Music Centre | Centre National de Musique
The National Music Centre (NMC) has a mission to amplify the love, sharing, and understanding of music. It is preserving and celebrating Canada’s music story inside its home at Studio Bell in the heart of the East Village in Mohkinstsis (Calgary) on Treaty 7 territory. NMC is the home to four Canadian music halls of fame, including the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Quebec’s ADISQ Hall of Fame. Featuring musical instruments, artifacts, recording equipment, and memorabilia, the NMC Collection spans over 450 years of music history and innovation. A registered charity with programs that include exhibitions, artist development, performance, and education, NMC is inspiring a new generation of music lovers. For more information about NMC’s onsite activities, please visit studiobell.ca. To check out the NMC experience online, including video-on-demand performances, made-in-Canada stories, and highly entertaining educational content, visit amplify.nmc.ca.

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Media contact:
Julijana Capone, Senior Manager, PR and Marketing
National Music Centre
T 403.543.5123
julijana.capone@nmc.ca | @nmc_canada