Two-time Juno Award-winning musical artist Aysanabee is returning to Thunder Bay.
Fresh off a summer filled with playing shows everywhere from Australia and Taiwan to performing at the Nürnberg Pop Festival in Germany, the Sandy Lake First Nation member is about to embark on The Way We’re Born Tour, a cross-country event that will see him wrap up shows at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on December 14.
“This is the first cross-Canada headline tour that I’ve done,” says Aysanabee about the 20-date schedule that will see him travel from British Columbia to Ontario. “Definitely ending it in Thunder Bay, where I learned to play shows, was an intentional thing to do.”
Since surging on the music scene in 2022 with his debut album, Watin, Aysanabee has been steadily gaining a fanbase with his powerful storytelling and songs, that include radio hits like “We Were Here” and “Nomads.”
The release of his sophomore album Edge of the Earth this past summer would only cement the Oji-Cree artist’s growing popularity not just in Canada but around the world.
“This one woman had driven all the way from Cologne, which is like a four-and-a-half drive to come to the show” says Aysanabee about his reception at the Nürnberg Pop Festival. “I was kind of pleasantly surprised and happy that the music is reaching different places for sure.”
After three years of relentless performing, Aysanabee is particularly excited to return to Thunder Bay for his final leg of the tour, noting that he last performed locally during Canada Day in 2024 on the waterfront.
“It was a pretty sweet experience,” says the Oji-Cree artist who spent his formative years living just north of the city. “I saw a lot of old friends and family came out (and) it’s a big milestone for me to be able to do this tour.”
As a way to give back to his rising success, Aysanabee is also dedicated to helping spotlight other Indigenous artists by inviting local musicians to join him on the tour. For his stop at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, he’ll be joined by Thunder Bay’s own Sara Kae.
“Earlier this year, she came and did this Northern circuit with me,” says Aysanabee, adding that short run included dates in Dryden, Fort Frances and other Northwestern towns.
“We just had such an incredible time and she is such an incredible storyteller and songwriter and just really a road dog, like I am.”
