“The crowd swayed and moved with her music and then when the drumming began there was a joined response, up and down, back and forth, slowly and respectfully offering a collective space for grief and remembrance.” - Ernie Boldt , Mission Folk Festival Attendee
Award-winning alt-folk singer-songwriter Mimi O'Bonsawin invites audiences into a world where music, nature, and storytelling are deeply intertwined. Born in Northeastern Ontario, O'Bonsawin is French Canadian and W8banaki (Abénaki), and a member of the Odanak First Nation. Her genre-defying sound blends folk traditions with groove, playful experimentation, and heartfelt lyricism, creating songs that feel both intimate and expansive.
Her forthcoming album, Evoke (August 28, 2026), reflects her love of gardening, the natural world, and authentic self-expression. Featuring collaborations with OKAN and The Pairs, alongside deeply personal songs including the Indigenous Music Countdown #1 single "Steady," the album marks her most courageous work to date, exploring themes of identity, language, friendship, and belonging.
Performing as a dynamic duo with her husband, drummer, and co-producer Ryan Schurman, O'Bonsawin creates an immersive live experience that feels far bigger than two people on stage, inviting audiences to dance, laugh, sing, and connect.
Her recent years have been marked by remarkable momentum, including four 2026 Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards nominations, debut performances at Hillside and Mariposa Folk Festivals, and 2025's Solo Artist of the Year honour at the Trille Or Awards. She has toured Australia and appeared at major festivals across Canada while sharing stages with artists including Aysanabee, Basia Bulat, Good Lovelies, and Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
Guided by the belief that "music is medicine," Mimi O'Bonsawin continues to cultivate songs that, like a well-tended garden, are meant to be shared.
Show Intro
Award-winning alt-folk singer-songwriter Mimi O'Bonsawin creates music rooted in nature, storytelling, and connection. French Canadian and W8banaki (Abénaki), and a member of the Odanak First Nation, she blends folk traditions with groove and playful experimentation into a sound all her own. Her forthcoming album, Evoke (August 28, 2026), explores identity, language, and the natural world through richly textured songs and heartfelt collaborations. Named Solo Artist of the Year at the 2025 Trille Or Awards, O'Bonsawin continues to captivate audiences with immersive live performances and the belief that music, like a garden, is meant to be shared.
Courte Bio
Mimi O’Bonsawin est une autrice-compositrice-interprète franco-ontarienne et W8banaki (Abénakise), membre de la Première Nation d’Odanak. Sa musique, à la fois influencée par ses origines autochtones et la pop acoustique, est portée par des textes sensibles, des rythmes organiques et une profonde connexion à la nature.
Accompagnée de son partenaire Ryan Schurman à la batterie et aux percussions,elle propose une performance à la fois intime et vibrante, mêlant poésie, groove et émotions sincères.
Lauréate et finaliste de nombreux prix, Mimi s’est produite en France, en Australie et à travers le Canada, séduisant les publics grâce à sa voix unique et sa présence lumineuse.
Pour Mimi, « la musique est un jardin que nous partageons ».
Short Bio
““Mimi O’Bonsawin’s music is hard to fit neatly into one genre, and that’s what makes it special. Her sweet vocals combined with groovy rhythms, folk influences, and funky ukulele effects create a song that is completely her own.”
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Career Highlights
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
2025- Mission Folk Festival - Mission, BC
2025- Vancouver Folk Festival- Vancouver, BC
2025 - Harrison Festival of the Arts- Harrison Hot Springs, BC
2025- Midsummer Music Festival- Smithers BC
2025- Moveable Feast/2 RiversRemix Tour Toquaht FN & Ahousaht FN
2025- Elisapie’s Le Grand Solstice - Odanak FN, Qc
2025 -Skeleton Park Festival- Kingston, ON
2025- Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée - Gaspé, Qc
2025- Les Francos de Montréal - Montréal, Qc
2025- Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International
2025- Opening for Aysanabee (SOLD OUT) Ottawa,ON
2025 - Cygnet Folk Festival - Tasmania, Australia
2025- Woodford Folk Festival - Woodford, Australia
2025- Vitrine Contact Ontarois
2024 Pop Montreal Rialto Theatre Direct Support for Beverly Glenn Copeland
2024 Official Showcase at Contact East & Folk Music Ontario (watch)
2024 Canada Life Center Winnipeg for National Truth and Reconciliation Week
2024 Stan Rogers Festival, Canso NS
2024 Uxbridge Music Hall / SpringTide Festival. Opening for The Good Lovelies (SOLD OUT)
2024 Festival Changez D’air - Lyon, France (And Spring France Tour 8 dates)
2024 National Art Center Fourth Stage SOLD OUT - Ottawa, ON
2023- MaMA Music Conference- Paris, France
2023- NCTR Gidinawendimin at TD Place- Ottawa,ON
2023- Festival Les Zébrures d’Automne- Limoges, France
2023- Summerfolk Festival- Owen Sound, ON
2023-North American Indigenous Games- Halifax,NS
2023- RBC Ottawa Bluesfest- Ottawa, ON
2023- Full House Album Release Concert - Place des Arts Sudbury (6 tickets short of Sold Out)
2023- Full House Album Release Concert - National Arts Center Fourth Stage- Ottawa
2023- Album Release Concert at Small World Music (8 Tickets short of Sold Out)- Toronto
2022- Cavalcade of Lights Nathan Phillips Square - Toronto,ON
2022- Vancouver Island Music Fest- Courtenay BC
2021- Belle et Bum - Télé Québec
NOTABLE MOMENTS
2026 Singles Pass the Time & Better Than Before on Indie88 Toronto
2025 Songwriter Cohort for Letters to the Future
2025 Songwriter Cohort for Nikamu Mamuitun
2025 Performance on Elisapie’s Le Grand-Solstice aired Nationally on Ici-Télé & APTN
2025 Elle Danse Boogát Remix placed on SiriusXM Attitude Franco
2024/2025 Tour in Australia (Woodford Folk Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival & more)
2024 Sold Out Concert at the National Arts Center - Fourth Stage- Ottawa,ON
2024 Spring Tour in France including Festival Changez D’Air - SOLD OUT
2024 Amazon Music Indigenous Music Camp
2023 Willow Album Track by Track on SiriusXM Indigivers
Composed theme song for Radio Canada’s program ‘Le Matin du Nord’.
2023 Placements on SiriusXM Indigivers
Lyrics composer for Music Mondaysong 2022.
Composed a part of the Sound & Light Show on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Performed on Belle et Bum - Télé Québec 2021.
Elle Danse EP was on ELMNT FM’s - Top 10 Albums of 2020.
Featured on Radio Canada’s Mini Docu. Series - “TOUT INCLU”
International
Touring
FRANCE 2023 & 2024
Notable Performances:
MaMA Convention Paris
Festival Changez D’Air
Festival Zébrures d’automne
AUSTRALIA 2024/2025
Notable Performances:
Woodford Folk Festival
Cygnet Folk Festival
“The metaphor of a garden is not simply a clever literary device or affectation. It’s a foundational touchstone for her songwriting.”
“Her words and approach are thoughtful, sensitive, considered and soulful, and the result is fabulous songwriting.
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“There was a lot of love for Mimi O’Bonsawin in the air last night, and she gave us a whole lot of love and magic back ... she still has that je ne sais quoi in spades!”
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
2026 4 Nominations at Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards (NOMFA). Vocal Performance, Songwriter, Indigenous Artist & Music Video P8GWAS
2025Awarded ‘Artiste Solo’ at Trille Or 2025.
2025 Prix Distinction Desjardin & Réseau des Grands Espaces à Contact Ontarois 2025.
2025 5 Nominations Prix Trille Or Artiste Solo, Album “Boréale”, Export Ontario, Auteure-Compositrice et Coup de Coeur Public.
2024 Native American Music Awards Nominee for Best Americana Recording, Best Folk Recording, Best Music Video Narrative.
2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards Nominee for Mimi O’Bonsawin ‘Live in Concert’
2024 Ontario Folk Music Awards Nominee for Performing Artist of the Year
2024 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards (NOMFA) Nominations Outstanding Album by an Indigenous Artist & Meilleur Album Francophone.
2024 Capital Music Awards Nomiations: Solo Artist of the Year, Album of the Year ‘Boréale’, Songwriter of the Year ‘Willow’
2023 Grammy Consideration for Best Regional Roots Album “Willow”
2023 Nominated Solo Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Music Video of the year at Capital Music Awards.
2023 Trille Or Awards WINNER Fiddleheads & Ferns-Best Folk/Country/Trad Album of the year
2020 Nominated Best EP & Best New Artist at TRILLE OR AWARDS
2019 Awarded Best Pop Album at INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARDS
2017 Nominated Best Music Video for Beautiful Place at Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards (NOMFA)
2017 Nominated Best Songwriter at Toronto Independent Music Awards
2017 Awarded Best Music Video for HOW LONG at Toronto Independent Music Awards
2015 Nominated Best Songwriter at Northern Ontario Music & Film Awards (NOMFA)
RECENT MEDIA
Music Life Magazine - Better than Before (2026)
AMERICANA UK - ‘Steady’ Single (2026)
ICI Musique, Minotan- ‘P8GWAS’ Single (2026)
Review ATUVU.CA Pop Montreal(2024)Critique FR Pop Montreal
Rolling Stone Québèc (2025) HERE
Performance Review (2024) : Roots Music Canada / Springtide Music Festival
Live Album (2024) : CBC Radio Interview
Interview France (2024): Festival Changez D’air, Lyon-France
BORÉALE Album : Radio-Canada
Willow Album review : Great Dark Wonder
Willow Concert Review: The Sound Café
Published Column "A Touring Musician’s Journey into Growing Food” in Canadian Musician Magazine