If there’s an ethos driving everything Luca Fogale does, it’s intention. His songs are unpretentious and free of gimmickry — reverberating instead with rich nuance, his whispered vocals hitting like a warm, enveloping breeze. “It’s why I write so slowly,” he confesses. “Every word matters to me.” Just as Hemingway edited out unnecessary words, or minimalist painter Frank Stella became synonymous with the phrase “what you see is what you see,” Fogale, too, endeavors to make art without artifice. This rare mix of skill and restraint is why Fogale — who has recently released his fourth studio album, Challenger — has a pair of JUNO Adult Contemporary Album of the Year nominations (for 2023’s Run When the Light Calls and 2020’s Nothing Is Lost) and has garnered more than 250 million streams.  

Fogale was raised Catholic outside Vancouver, where he still lives. He subsequently learned to play the piano and guitar, which, by his early 20s, became his gospel instead. “My focus, instead of turning to God, was turned inwards; towards a reverence for the human spirit and for this world, and towards a deep exploration of self. In this shift,” he explains, “I have found the depth of gratitude, peace, and faith that I believe I was always looking for.”  

Challenger, he shares, was written “mostly in quiet moments between being on the road.” In particular, he’d drive a few hours out of the city to a quiet cabin ensconced deep in the interior of British Columbia. There, he faced his doubts with courage and even wonder. “This album was born out of questioning who I have become and what has shaped me, and in turn, considering how much of my past is no longer serving me — how much I can challenge, and how much I can let go of,” he says. “The more time I spend engaging with this life, the wider my lens for the world gets. It requires me to reflect on myself and hold myself accountable for who I am. It raises the bar for who I want to be.”

If the Challenger process taught him anything, it’s that his most compelling work comes from all-too-human introspection. “For a long time I considered songwriting as a channeling of the cosmos — of extrinsic influence — as though ideas were merely flowing through us,” he says. “But the older I get, the more I’ve come to firmly plant my flag in the belief that all of this artistic expression comes from deep within us: the parts of ourselves that are either the most ready or the most needed for this world.”  

Challenger is out now via Nettwerk, and features the singles Horizon, For, Ashes, Lost Without You, and Begin.

Savannah Harris is a drummer, producer/arranger, and music director widely regarded as one of the foremost drummers of her generation. Equally fluent in the deep traditions of jazz and the genre-blurring language of contemporary Black music, she brings precision, ingenuity, and emotional depth to every project she undertakes. Harris has become a vital presence in today’s creative landscape, touring and recording with Christian McBride’s Ursa Major, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and jazz luminary Kenny Barron.

Her creative reach extends to her award-winning collaborative project ØKSE, whose debut earned a Deutscher Jazzpreis for Album of the Year. Harris’s wide-ranging recording work includes contributions to Helado Negro’s acclaimed albums Far In and Phasor, where her rhythmic sensitivity and textural awareness play a defining role. She is also a longtime member of Or Bareket’s Quartet, appearing on the albums Sahar and Yom, and she joins Angelika Niescier and Tomeka Reid on the adventurous trio release Beyond Dragons.

Harris also serves as music director for MIKE, shaping the rapper’s live sound with her distinct rhythmic identity. Continually expanding her artistic footprint, she stands at the forefront of a transformative new wave in modern music.

Photo Credit Antonio Porcar.

Morikilr is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter from the Indigenous Lijia Tribe in Taitung.
His work explores the space between loss and belonging, weaving personal memories and tribal stories into warm, reflective soundscapes.
His 2024 debut album, inspired by themes of home, nature, and resilience, was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Indigenous Language Album, and Best Indigenous Language Singer at the 36th Golden Melody Awards. He also received First Prize in the Indigenous
Language Category at the 21st Taiwan Original Music Awards, organized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture.
Through his music, Morikilr seeks to preserve fading voices and to
create new connections between the past and the present.

Louis Bouchier is a composer and performer from Edmonton, Alberta, and an active contributor to Canada’s evolving music landscape. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Native Studies minor from the University of Alberta, where he studied composition, improvisation, sampling, sequencing, and a range of hardware and software production techniques. His academic training, combined with deep experience in live performance, has shaped a versatile and exploratory musical voice.
Louis has toured nationally and internationally, performing across Canada and in parts of Europe with the alt-country groups The Uncas and Marystown. As a multi-instrumentalist, he is skilled in electric guitar, lap steel guitar, electric bass, vocals, drum programming, and music composition. His dynamic career has included work as a freelancer and session player with a range of Edmonton-based acts, including Brother Octopus and The Devil’s Sons, spanning genres from Americana to punk to experimental music.
In recent years, Louis has expanded his practice into electronic music performance and education through Sampler Café, a sample-based collective focused on improvisational music and public engagement. Performing under the moniker Dichotomos, he uses live sampling, looping, and sequencing to create genre-defying sets while also educating audiences on the creative processes behind the music. His performances emphasize spontaneity, cultural dialogue, and a DIY ethos.
Louis was also a featured performer in the SubArctic Improv and Experimental Arts Series, where he contributed to multidisciplinary explorations that blend sound, movement, and improvisation. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a commitment not only to musicianship but to creating spaces for experimentation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing across musical and cultural boundaries.
This past June 2025, the concert Here-Hearing was held at Mile Zero Dance in Edmonton. As part of a two-night series celebrating local musicians and sound artists, the event combined classical composition, improvisation, electronics, and multimedia. Red River Resonance (Louis Bouchier and Jen Dunford) showcased their distinctive approach to improvised sound, dance, and visuals.
 

AUNTIE KD is a queer, Cree emerging music producer, composer, songwriter, and drag musician from Treaty 4 Territory (Regina) with lineages from Cowessess First Nation, and Peguis 1B First Nation. Their Alternative Rock style and performance aims to highlight the history of colonialism & intergenerational healing by uplifting underserved voices and exploring a reciprocity with Mother Earth. By storytelling in lyrics, composition and drag performance, “AUNTIE KD” is an homage to their duty to future generations—using fluidity and joy as methods for Indigenous resiliency.

KOYOT is a psychedelic rock, folk and indie/alternative band from Regina, Saskatchewan, blending atmospheric soundscapes with emotionally charged songwriting. Rooted in the creative visions of two Indigenous members, Wade Lavallee (Calling Rivers) and Donavin Logan. KOYOT’s music carries honest storytelling while pushing into expansive, genre-bending territory.

Drawing inspiration from modern indie, classic psychedelia, and the diverse musical histories of the Prairies, KOYOT crafts a sound that is both immersive and familiar. Their energetic live performances and dynamic arrangements have helped the band gain a growing following, surpassing 160,000 streams across major platforms since beginning in February 2025.

KOYOT was nominated for Fan’s Choice and Rock Group of the Year at the Saskatchewan Indigenous Music Association Awards, marking them as an emerging force in the Western Canadian music scene.
 

Born and raised in Aotearoa New Zealand, Niki Kennedy is an award-winning Pasifi ka (Cook Islands Māori) singer-songwriter and musician based in Vancouver. Grounded in roots and soul, she blends warm grooves and emotional melodies into honest storytelling with heart.
Her forthcoming album, The Space In Between (2026), explores themes of home, identity, and belonging. It’s a journey of reconnection, grounded in culture, nature, and story, integrating Polynesian elements into contemporary roots music.
Through music, she shares openly, hoping listeners feel seen, heard, and held. Each note is a quiet invitation to meet ourselves and one another gently, in pursuit of a kinder world for all. 

Norine Braun is an award-winning Métis and Two Spirit singer-songwriter and recording artist from East Vancouver, known for her soulful vocals, introspective lyrics, and genre-blending mix of roots rock, blues, and folk. With 15 commended albums, Braun continues to craft emotionally resonant music that explores identity, belonging, and transformation.
Her latest release in 2025 is A Hero In The Wind. The album's title track was written in honour of her birth father—anchors an album recorded in a remarkable way: the first five songs were captured live-off-the-floor in just one hour each during Steve Dawson’s Henhouse Pop-Up Sessions. The result is a raw, immediate, and deeply human collection that reflects love, reconnection, and reclamation.
Braun’s concept album Journey Toward Wholeness released in 2024 chronicled her reunion with her birth father and Métis family echoing Braun’s lived experience as an adoptee and was supported with an award by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. Her environmentally themed Songs For Trees was named "one of The Vancouver Sun’s 5 Albums You Need to Hear." This album also was supported by First Peoples' Cultural Council, Canada Council For the Arts and FACTOR awards.
A captivating performer, Braun’s music continues to resonate across Canada and beyond.