Indigenous Sounds Now, part of SummerSeries in Trillium Park at Ontario Place, amplifies the voices of Indigenous musicians from the Anishinaabe, Mohawk and Cree Nations.
With a sonically diverse line-up of Indigenous musicians and JUNO Award nominees, Indigenous Sounds Now delivers a fusion of Indigenous culture with pop, blues, roots, and rock. Be sure to join us as we listen and dance to this wonderful Indigenous musical mosaic.
Schedule – Sunday, July 27, 2025
Donna Sound
Host
With a career in journalism that has spanned more than 25 years, Donna Sound is an Indigenous Circle reporter for CTV National News, and a regular contributor to the team’s news gathering efforts. Sound has interviewed Prime Ministers, heads of state, Lieutenant Governors, OSCAR® winners, music icons, and CEOs. She reported on and was invited to the private audience to the historic Papal apology to Indigenous Survivors of residential schools at the Vatican in Rome as she is the daughter of a residential school survivor. A member of Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation in Ontario, Sound feels a sense of pride in breaking down barriers for First Nation people. She brings a distinct perspective to the newsroom, giving a voice to those not often heard in Canadian media. Donna is the first Indigenous person in the history of CTV to anchor nationally.
DJ MR SAUGA
4:05 – 5:05 pm
MR. SAUGA is the unapologetic alter ego of Jordan Jamieson, a proud Michi Saagiig artist blending pow with punchlines, culture with cadence. As a singer-songwriter and storyteller, he weaves Anishinaabe teachings into high-energy tracks that hit just as hard in the heart as they do in the speakers. His debut album, Unidentified, set the stage with bold identity and raw rhythm. Then came ‘Earthbound,’ a deeper dive into reconnection, resistance, and realness. Now, with a third album on the way, leading the charge, MR. SAUGA is turning up the volume on Indigenous pride, joy, and power.
Zeegwon Shilling
5:25 – 6:10 pm
Zeegwon is a 19-year-old Anishnawbe Toronto and Wasauksing First Nation based actor and singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who is just beginning to share his voice with the world. Since he was a small child, Zeegwon has expressed his passion for music and performance as a self-taught pianist, vocalist, and actor. In November 2018 he was captured on camera singing Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ which went viral on Facebook garnering over 100,000 views in 3 days (600k+ in total). Shilling was a finalist in CBC’s Searchlight Talent 2021 and has branched into television including an appearance on the The Coroner. He has now begun to shift his work into writing, recording, and acting with many upcoming projects to look forward to.
Learn more at zeegwon.com
Lacey Hill
6:30 – 7:15pm
This Oneida Wolf Clan, Six Nations born and bred independent singer/songwriter describes her music as “Indigenous Soul” grown from a passion for making music since she was a little girl. There is no denying the amount of heart Lacey Hill bleeds into all three of her albums. 2024 was a big year, Lacey completed Indigenous Storytellers Residency at Banff Creative Centre, she started writing her first Children’s Musical called ‘You Are Not Alone’ (Y.A.N.A) and wrote a book to go with it ‘Y.A.N.A’ will also be showcasing in Native Earth Performing Arts’ Weesageechak Begins to Dance 37 Theatre Festival.
Learn more at www.laceyhillmusic.com
Murray Porter
7:35 – 8:20pm
Blues Man Murray Porter’s music career has taken him all over the world for the last 40 years. He’s a proud Mohawk man from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in southern Ontario. Murray may have a blues soul to the core, but he also grew up on rock and roll, R & B, and country music. Porter’s CD ‘Songs Lived & Life Played’ won him the 2012 JUNO Award for “Aboriginal Album of the Year”. In 2019 he released ‘Stand Up!’ and reflects these early musical influences. Two songs from this recording, ‘Two Hearts & One Soul’ and ‘Love Will Find a Way,’ words by Elaine Bomberry and music by Murray Porter, each hit number one, on Canada’s Indigenous Music Countdown in 2020. In 2023, he won the “Icon Award” at the Weengushk International Indigenous Film Festival, on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. In 2021, 2022 & 2023, he was nominated for “Blues with a Feeling” award for Lifetime Achievement from the Maple Blues Awards, Canada’s national blues awards.
Adrian Sutherland
8:45 – 9:45pm
One listen to Adrian Sutherland and you’ll know he’s unlike anyone else. The roots-rocker-with-heart from Attawapiskat on James Bay melds rock, roots, folk, and blues, drawing inspiration from his life, the land, and his language and culture. Adrian’s sophomore solo album ‘Precious Diamonds’ was recorded in Nashville with former GRAMMY winner Colin Linden and released in 2024. It won “Best Americana Album” from the 2025 World Entertainment Awards in Los Angeles, was nominated at the 2025 JUNO Awards, and selected one of the “Top 100 Albums of 2024” by CKUA Radio. It features two songs in Cree, making the first time Adrian is making music in his first language. Lead single ‘Notawe’ (Father) reached #1 on the internationally recognized Indigenous Music Countdown and was named one of the “Top 100 Songs of 2023” by CBC Music.
Learn more at www.adriansutherlandmusic.com
