2021 AWARD NOMINEE
Artistic Video
Nadjiwan
Easier
Meriläinen Müsic Inc.,
Laura Meriläinen & Marc Meriläinen
Born in northern Manitoba and raised in the untamed beauty of Northwestern Ontario, Marc Merilainen knew from an early age he would perform music. Marc is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation as well as having Finnish heritage.
After graduating from the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College in London, Marc returned to Thunder Bay where he began collaborating with other First Nations musicians. The first Nadjiwan album titled “Brother”, released in 1995, went on to achieve much success in both Canada and the United States.
Since 1995 Marc has released 6 full-length records, 4 EPs and numerous singles. Many of these releases reached the #1 spot on the National Indigenous Top 40 Countdown as well as various campus radio charts. Marc’s music has received several award nominations including Best Male Artist (Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards), Best Rock Album (Native American Music Awards), and Best Rock Album (Indigenous Music Awards). Marc/Nadjiwan has performed at numerous music festivals including: The Mariposa Folk Festival, Folk On The Rocks, The Hillside Music Festival, Northern Lights Festival Boreal and Live from the Rock. In 2010, Marc was asked to represent the music of Ontario at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. In 2015, Nadjiwan performed a special concert during the Pan Am Games as well as a main-stage headlining performance for the North American Indigenous Games in 2017.
In addition to releasing original music Marc has composed scores for theatre and television. His work on the production Agokwe earned him a Dora Award Nomination in 2009 for Best Original Composition. Last year Marc released two EPs: In February he recorded “The Dog Lake Sessions” in a cabin in Northwestern Ontario which earned him critical acclaim, and a 9 out of 10 album review in Exclaim! magazine. In August “Anomalous” was released which was recorded entirely in isolation during the first COVID lockdowns in 2020. Marc rounded out the year with a cover of the late Kelly Fraser’s “Rebound Girl” as a tribute to the Nunavut-born artist and Inuit rights activist, with whom he had a close relationship. Nadjiwan’s next full-length release is a space rock opera called “Star Nation” that will be out in May, 2021.
After graduating from the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College in London, Marc returned to Thunder Bay where he began collaborating with other First Nations musicians. The first Nadjiwan album titled “Brother”, released in 1995, went on to achieve much success in both Canada and the United States.
Since 1995 Marc has released 6 full-length records, 4 EPs and numerous singles. Many of these releases reached the #1 spot on the National Indigenous Top 40 Countdown as well as various campus radio charts. Marc’s music has received several award nominations including Best Male Artist (Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards), Best Rock Album (Native American Music Awards), and Best Rock Album (Indigenous Music Awards). Marc/Nadjiwan has performed at numerous music festivals including: The Mariposa Folk Festival, Folk On The Rocks, The Hillside Music Festival, Northern Lights Festival Boreal and Live from the Rock. In 2010, Marc was asked to represent the music of Ontario at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. In 2015, Nadjiwan performed a special concert during the Pan Am Games as well as a main-stage headlining performance for the North American Indigenous Games in 2017.
In addition to releasing original music Marc has composed scores for theatre and television. His work on the production Agokwe earned him a Dora Award Nomination in 2009 for Best Original Composition. Last year Marc released two EPs: In February he recorded “The Dog Lake Sessions” in a cabin in Northwestern Ontario which earned him critical acclaim, and a 9 out of 10 album review in Exclaim! magazine. In August “Anomalous” was released which was recorded entirely in isolation during the first COVID lockdowns in 2020. Marc rounded out the year with a cover of the late Kelly Fraser’s “Rebound Girl” as a tribute to the Nunavut-born artist and Inuit rights activist, with whom he had a close relationship. Nadjiwan’s next full-length release is a space rock opera called “Star Nation” that will be out in May, 2021.
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