Mike Paul Kuekuatsheu
Mike Paul is an Innu singer-songwriter born on the shores of Lake Pekuakami in Mashteuiatsh. Winner of two Awards at the 2022 Prix Superstar Autochtone in the categories of Best Rock Album and Best Album in an Indigenous Language for his new album Ashuapmushuan. Nominated for the North American Indigenous Music Award in 2022, the Canadian Folk Music Award, and the Indigenous Music Awards in 2019. He has been a major figure in the Indigenous music scene for 30 years. The friendly Carcajou (Kuekuatsheu) offers new songs with his new show Nutshimit single to be released in 2024 and a new album in 2025, and a musical review of his last three albums, including “Ashuapmushuan” (where one watches for moose). Guided by the river and the spirit of the winds, his voice resonates in the universe for the protection of all living things on Earth and for the pride of his people’s millennial culture of hunters-gatherers. The recipient of the 2019 CALQ Impulsion Scholarship offers beautiful Indigenous music, innovative folk-rock and traditional sounds in the Innu, French, and English languages, which takes us on a journey to the heart of Nutshimit (into the wilderness) and the myths and legends of the First Peoples.
Mike has performed numerous concerts in Brittany, France, the USA, Canada, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. He has participated in several live television broadcasts, including TAM 1 and 3, Makusham, Radio-Canada’s Sortir, La Petite Séduction, and Indigenous Day Live 2018 in Ottawa. He has composed soundtracks for television shows, including Mishkuenita on APTN and Le Diable de la Côte Nord in 2022. He was a finalist twice as a songwriter for the Prix Objectif Scène. Mike is also a storyteller and lecturer on First Peoples’ culture.