Last summer, the SOCAN Foundation named Laura Niquay recipient of the annual TD Indigenous Songwriter Award. This critically acclaimed Attikamek artist from Trois-Rivières, Quebec is being recognized for her songs “Moteskano” and “Nicto Kicko”, which offer a glimpse into her energized folk-grunge universe. Since childhood, Niquay has been nourished by her family’s classical guitar sounds in the small community of Wemotaci in Mauricie, QC. The time soon came when Laura picked up a guitar to compose her own songs. She possesses an incomparable voice which she lends to singing in her native language, Atikamekw. Laura’s latest album, titled Waska Matisiwin, was finely crafted over several years with the assistance of sidekick Simon Walls and the production team at Musique Nomade. The result is a multi-layered, luminous and complex opus that earned her a place on the 2021 Polaris Music Prize Long List. Collaborations with Shauit, Anachnid, RedTails Spirit Singers, Gotta Lago, Eadsé, Kanen and Soleil Launière make the diversity of Indigenous voices really shine through on this recording.