She Carries the Song Brings Three Celebrated Indigenous Voices to Toronto
Three distinctive Indigenous voices will come together in Toronto this fall for an evening built around music, storytelling, culture and connection.
Celeigh Cardinal, Mimi O’Bonsawin and Lacey Hill join forces for She Carries the Song, arriving at Lula Lounge on October 27. Presented by TKMF Productions, the performance brings the three singer-songwriters onto one stage with a shared house band, creating an evening that moves between collaborative performances and individual artist spotlights.
Each musician brings her own Nation, musical influences and lived experiences to the project: Cardinal is Cree, O’Bonsawin is a member of Odanak First Nation and of French Canadian and Abenaki heritage, while Hill is a Six Nations Oneida singer-songwriter.
Rather than a conventional three-artist concert, She Carries the Song is designed as a shared musical experience — one that places individual stories alongside collective performance.
Three Artists, Three Musical Journeys
The strength of She Carries the Song lies in the different paths Cardinal, Hill and O’Bonsawin have taken to the stage.
Each artist will perform three or four solo selections during the evening, providing space for audiences to hear their individual musical identities before the voices come together in collaboration.
Celeigh Cardinal: A Voice of Strength and Transformation
Award-winning Cree singer-songwriter Celeigh Cardinal has established herself as one of Canada’s notable contemporary Indigenous voices, combining a soulful vocal style with deeply personal songwriting. Her third studio album, Boundless Possibilities, released in 2024, explores grief, spiritual growth, healing and personal sovereignty. Its song “Light of the Moon” earned Cardinal Songwriter of the Year at the 2024 Western Canadian Music Awards.
The album subsequently received two 2025 JUNO Award nominations — Adult Contemporary Album of the Year and Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year — along with nominations for English and Indigenous Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Those accolades followed Cardinal’s 2020 JUNO Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year for her second album, Stories from a Downtown Apartment. Her career has also taken her across North America and Europe and to international stages including Expo 2020 Dubai and Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival.
Lacey Hill: Music Rooted in Story and Community
Lacey Hill brings another perspective to the collaboration. The Six Nations Oneida singer-songwriter is a self-taught musician whose work crosses soul and folk while remaining closely connected to personal experience, spirituality and Indigenous identity.
Hill began by singing backup vocals with bands in her community before developing her own catalogue of original material. Her recordings include 528 Vol I, M and 528 Vol II: The Moon, forming a body of work shaped by self-discovery and storytelling.
Her work has also taken her beyond conventional music stages. Hill appeared in the comedy web series NDNs on the Airwaves and contributed to Truth and Illusion, a theatrical production from Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre. She has also incorporated mentorship and motivational speaking into her creative career.
Mimi O’Bonsawin: Music Connected to Land and Nature
For Mimi O’Bonsawin, the relationship between music, identity and the natural world is central to her songwriting. Born in Northeastern Ontario, O’Bonsawin is of French Canadian and Abenaki heritage and is a member of Odanak First Nation. Her contemporary roots sound combines acoustic instrumentation, layered percussion and pop-influenced melodies with songs exploring nature, identity and connection.
Her catalogue includes Willow, the French-language album Boréale and 2024’s Live in Concert. Her performances have taken her across Canada and internationally to France and Australia, while she has shared stages with artists including Aysanabee, The Good Lovelies, The East Pointers, DJ Shub and Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
O’Bonsawin’s work has also attracted nominations from several Canadian music organizations, and she previously received the 2019 Indigenous Music Award for Best Pop Album.
More Than Three Individual Performances
What makes She Carries the Song particularly interesting is that audiences won’t simply hear three separate sets. Cardinal, Hill and O’Bonsawin will perform together with a shared house band, with the programme moving between collaborative songs and individual spotlights.
That structure allows the differences between the three artists to remain visible while also creating space for their voices and stories to intersect. The result is intended to be both celebration and reclamation — an evening grounded in tradition while reflecting the contemporary experiences of Indigenous women working within Canada’s music community.
She Carries the Song Travels Across Ontario
Toronto isn’t the only opportunity to experience the project. She Carries the Song is appearing at performing arts venues across Ontario during October, including Ottawa on October 14, Kingston on October 15, Burlington on October 17, Mississauga on October 22 and Oakville on October 24 before arriving at Lula Lounge on October 27.