Blind Oji-Cree Artist ‘Mattmac’ Wins Canada’s Walk of Fame Emerging Musician Award – Winnipeg

Winnipeg musician Matthew Monias, known as Mattmac and hailing from the remote Garden Hill First Nation community in northern Manitoba, is the 2022 RBC Emerging Musicians Program recipient of Canada’s Walk of Fame .

Her submission to the program is a song titled Insulation and the corresponding music video was filmed in Garden Hill.

Monias has been blind since birth and released her first career album in 2020.

“I really like doing this as a thing and it’s like one of my biggest passions,” he told 680CJOB on October 6.

“It’s so cool and it comes with a lot of opportunity and potential.”

He has been singing since age four, writing songs since age 13, producing at age 16, and learning to play piano and guitar.

“A lot of what you hear is completely self-produced, everything is done myself, I mix my own voice and I also record my own voice,” he said.

The young artist has struggled with adversity throughout his career and he hopes he can be a beacon of hope for many.

“People around the world who are blind and have low vision, to be like, hey look, I’m making it mainstream, I’m doing things here, I’m taking big steps, I’m doing big things, so who’s to say you wouldn’t can’t do the same,” he said.

When asked what inspires him, he said one of his biggest musical inspirations was well-known artist Ed Sheeran, but that’s more than other musicians.

“A lot of people close to me, my family, my friends, and especially the people I work with,” he said.

Mattmac currently has two albums. One is tilted 20/20 and the other is blurred visions.

His best song from his debut album is called Heaven and it debuted at number one on the Native Music Countdown.

“I was at a loss for words because I’ve known this countdown the longest, so to be number one on this countdown is absolutely amazing to me,” he told Global News in 2020.

Heavenalong with the rest of the album, aims to connect with listeners facing unique challenges in life.

“Simple stuff like that really makes the album interesting. If you can relate to a lyric, even if it’s just a line,” Monias said.