MIMI O’BONSAWIN – EVOKE #101

This week, MIMI O’BONSAWIN – EVOKE

For Mimi O’Bonsawin, defining her sound goes far beyond genre. She invites listeners into her woodland world, leading them through gardens, celebrating the joy of growing food and living in relationship with the land, and revealing how those passions bloom into song. Those inspirations are at the heart of Evoke, her new studio album, due August 28, 2026.

An award-winning alt-folk singer-songwriter born in Northeastern Ontario, Mimi O’Bonsawin is French Canadian and W8banaki (Abénaki), and a member of the Odanak First Nation. Her music blends folk traditions, playful experimentation, and heartfelt storytelling into a sound that feels entirely her own.

Evoke features ten richly textured songs, from vibrant instrumentals like "Blueberry Jam" featuring OKAN, to collaborations such as "Better Than Before” with The Pairs, alongside deeply personal works including "Pass the Time" and "Steady." The latter reached #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown and was praised by AmericanaUK as "so heartfelt and disarmingly emotive that the feeling remains with you long after listening."

Creating Evoke became an act of empowerment, allowing O’Bonsawin to leave behind people-pleasing and embrace the music that she really loves to make alongside her favourite collaborator and person: her husband, drummer, and co-producer Ryan Schurman.

“In a time when AI and social media seem to be taking over the creative process, making a record like this feels like an act of resistance, and I love that. We’ve spent the last three years touring and honing our craft on stage, my favourite place to be. I wanted to bring all the good medicine people give us at shows into this album and let it fuel the fire that makes it a living piece of art.”

As both artist and gardener, O’Bonsawin sees the two practices as inseparable.

“Making music and growing food are very much the same. They both start with a seed and, with proper care, can grow into a beautiful garden that we all can share. I put intention and love into every seed and every note.”

As her audience continues to grow across Canada and around the world, O’Bonsawin remains guided by a simple philosophy:

“I want to invite audiences into my world because, for me, music is medicine. It’s not mine, it’s not yours alone. Music is something we all share. It is our garden.”

https://www.mimi.ca/

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw

This podcast is hosted by Canoe FM. https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/