Sebastian Gaskin

Sebastian Gaskin is a Cree singer-songwriter from Canada.^[1] He is most noted as winner of the Juno Award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2025 for his 2024 single "Brown Man".^[2]

A member of the Tataskweyak Cree Nation in Manitoba,^[1] his style blends rhythm and blues, rock and pop elements.^[3] In his early career Gaskin came out as non-binary,^[4] although his profile on the Ishkōdé Records website currently indicates he/him rather than they/them pronouns.^[5]

Gaskin released his debut single "6 a.m." in 2017,^[4] and followed up with the EP Contradictions, in 2019.^[6] He was the opening act for a Winnipeg concert by rapper Common that year, with the Winnipeg Free Press praising him as "Post Malone mixed with Frank Ocean, all swag and smooth vocals, hits of hip-hop and rap, rounded out with emotive, thoughtful lyrics", and concluding that he was "on the cusp of becoming something truly exceptional".^[7]

He followed up with the single "Snakehold" in 2020,^[8] winning the award for R&B Artist of the Year at the 2021 Western Canadian Music Awards.^[9]

He signed to Ishkōdé Records in 2023,^[10] releasing the singles "Medicine", "Brown Man" and "Ghost" on the label in 2023 and 2024, before releasing the full-length album Lovechild in 2025.^[11] "Medicine" won the Vince Fontaine Indigenous Song Award at the 2024 SOCAN Awards,^[1] while "Ghost" peaked at #1 on the CBC Music Top 20 in June 2024.^[12] He also participated in The Rainbow Collective, a group of Canadian LGBTQ musicians organized by Theo Tams who recorded the charity single "This Little Light" in 2024.^[13]

In the same year, Tataskweyak erected a billboard celebrating him as a native of the community.^[14]

In addition to Gaskin's 2025 Juno nomination, Hill Kourkoutis received a nod for Recording Engineer of the Year for "Ghost".^[2]