Jeremy Dutcher, a member of the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) community from Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick,Formerly residing in Toronto, Ontario, and presently calling Montréal, Québec, their journey in music has been marked by a commitment to both tradition and innovation. is deeply rooted in a mission to revitalize and preserve their Indigenous language, Wolastoqey/Maliseet. Their commitment to this cause finds expression through music, where they passionately employs his artistic prowess to safeguard language and culture.
In their quest to breathe new life into the linguistic heritage of their people, Jeremy embarked on a research project at the Canadian Museum of History. Here, they meticulously transcribed archival recordings of traditional Maliseet songs. These recordings, made on wax cylinders between 1907 and 1913, held the voices of his ancestors singing, talking, and laughing. Recognizing the urgency to preserve these precious fragments of heritage, Jeremy ingeniously composed piano lines around these recorded melodies. The result was their debut LP, "Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa," that earned them the prestigious 2018 Polaris Music Prize and the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2019 Juno Awards. Where ancestral voices seamlessly intertwine with their contemporary compositions, creating a musical tapestry that transcends time and connects generations.