The creation of meaningful art can only occur in moments of despair or triumph; there is no grey area.
iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning “blue sky woman”) is an award-winning Indigenous creator whose catalogue drips of a spectrum of emotions and is powered by resilience. Following several seasons of high highs being met with low lows, the Cree Métis artist retreated south to Mexico and inward to her soul to paint a 10-song collection that illustrates the gut-wrenching roller coaster ride that has been her recent life.
nīna, the opus of iskwē’s rebirth, is the Cree translation for “me” and was chosen as the title of her fourth solo album as an ode to the profoundly autobiographical elements. The album is the sonic manifestation of the divine feminine explored through vignettes of love, passion, anger, betrayal, and loss.
The album’s focus track, “Exhale,” is a reassuring call to the self, as iskwē encourages herself: “Blue sky woman, it’s time for you to breathe out.” The tense yet shimmering song holds onto the vulnerability at iskwē’s core.
“I needed to remind myself that I am vibrant, that I hold life in me,” she explains of the song.
“I am an artist, a creative, confident and soft. I needed to remind myself that I hold love in my being. It was time I remembered these pieces in me which had been dormant for some time. So now I start again, to rebloom. To be reborn. To look at myself in the mirror and exhale. It’s time for me to breathe out…”
iskwē’s collaboration with 10x Grammy nominee Damian Taylor serves as the bedrock of this LP, creating a lush and textured world of electronic pop which branches further out through Latin strings (Waiting For The Laughter) and a dreamy psychedelic sound on Top 20 Alt-Rock charting lead single “I Get High” featuring Nina Hagen.
nīna reaches into the most personal and tender crevices, opening with the artist at a point of dissolution and overwhelm (“A Little Piece”), unfolding into an exploration of the deep, visceral experience of love, through to liberating herself from those who would rather see her fail than succeed (“Sure To Come”).
