Garden Hill First Nation member Matthew Monias, who performs under the name Mattmac, was announced Oct. 6 as the winner of Canada’s Walk of Fame’s 10th-annual RBC emerging musician prize.
Blind since birth, Mattmac, who now lives in Winnipeg, began his musical career by singing in the Garden Hill gospel choir. He later took up making beats and writing songs and taught himself to play guitar and piano. Mattmac’s music career began in 2016 when N’we Jinan, a travelling music studio program, came to Garden Hill and got him to collaborate on a project. He released his debut album — 20/20 — two years ago and his second album — Blurred Visions — earlier this year.
“Winning this award will open doors in the music industry that will take me to the next level of my career, and I’m so grateful. Coming from a small reserve in Northern Manitoba, opportunities like this aren’t readily available, and I hope that this incredible recognition will inspire others to know that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to,” says Mattmac. “Big shout out to Canada’s Walk of Fame, the judges and RBC for providing me this platform to show young people what they can achieve if they work for their dreams.”
The prize includes $20,000 in cash, opportunities to perform at Canada’s Walk of Fame events and private studio recording time at Metalworks Studios.
“At Metalworks, we believe in fostering young talent and I look forward to following the musical endeavours of all those involved in the program,” said Gil Moore, Metalworks Group CEO. “Mattmac, we look forward to hosting you at Metalworks Studios!"
Along with the other four finalists, Mattmac will have opportunities to participate in group mentorship sessions with a Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee or Allan Slaight Music Impact honouree and in a creative workshop at Toronto’s ArtHaus. He will also get a dedicated artist page on EmergingMusician.ca, the website of the RBC emerging musician program, and take part in career development mentorship sessions with A&R executives, a music lawyer and an experienced music industry agent.
Other perks of winning the prize include $2,000 towards a live off-the-floor performance video filmed in his hometown, a showcase opportunity at Canadian Music Week 2023 and a performance at Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg next February.
