Kanen (singer)

Karen Pinette-Fontaine
Born	Uashat
Occupation	Singer, Songwriter
Nationality	Canadian
Genre	Folk music, Pop music
Website
nikamowin.com/fr/artiste/kanen

Kanen is the stage name of Karen Pinette-Fontaine (born January 5, 1999), an Innu singer-songwriter from Uashat-Maliotenam, Quebec.[1] She is most noted as a Felix Award nominee for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the 43rd Félix Awards.[2]

Pinette-Fontaine launched her musical career as a member of Florent Vollant's Nikamu Mamuitun collective in 2019, alongside Marcie Michaud-Gagnon, Joëlle St-Pierre, Chloé Lacasse, Scott-Pien Picard, Matiu, Cédrik St-Onge and Ivan Boivin,[3] and released her self-titled debut EP that year.[4] She competed in the 2020 edition of the Francouvertes music competition.[5]

She has also been associated with the Wapikoni Mobile filmmaking collective,[6] for which she directed the short film Battles (Batailles)[7] and appeared as herself in Sonia Bonspille Boileau's documentary film Wapikoni.

References

1. Amélie Revert, "Kanen et Matiu, deux diamants bruts rencontrés à Petite-Vallée". Métro, July 14, 2021.
2. Louis-Philippe Labrèche, "Les nominations du Premier gala de l’ADISQ 2021". Le Canal Auditif, September 22, 2021.
3. Philippe Papineau, "La forêt enchantée de Nikamu Mamuitun". Le Devoir, September 13, 2019.
4. "Karen Pinette-Fontaine et son nouvel EP". Ici Radio-Canada, October 17, 2019.
5. Louis-Philippe Labrèche, "Les Francouvertes 2020 — Soir 6 : Kanen, thaïs et Valence". Le Canal Auditif, September 29, 2020.
6. Antoine Bordeleau, "Karen Pinette Fontaine". Voir, October 14, 2019.
7. "Les réalisatrices autochtones à l'honneur". Ici Radio-Canada, March 6, 2017.