Booking and inquieries: mgmt@ilabarker.com
Highlights
“25” Music Video 45K views on YouTube
“25” Exclusive Premier on Entertainment Tonight Canada
First single “Intuition” charting #1 on IMC, added to SiriusXM Radio channel 165
“25”, “Intuition”, “Let Go” added to Apple Music Indigenous Now playlist
Official showcasing artist at Breakout West, Folk Music Ontario and NXNE
Awarded Canada Council of the Arts grant to run AIRsessions, a professional development project for Indigenous musicians
Participant and returning alumni in RBC x Music program
Spotify • Apple • YouTube • Instagram • TikTok
Recent Press
“With a soulful voice and lyrics that wash over the minds and hearts of audiences like waves, Ila is a force to be reckoned with” — Halton Empire
"‘Intuition’ is a testament to writing exercises, and how simple prompts can sometimes unlock something much more meaningful.” — Melody Lau, CBC
“With a soulful voice and lyrics that wash over the minds and hearts of audiences like waves, Ila is a force to be reckoned with.” — Guitar Girl Mag
Biography
50 words -
With her soulful voice and lyrics that wash over the hearts of audiences like waves, Ila Barker is a force to be reckoned with. This Anishinaabe and settler folk-soul artist, takes listeners on an introspective journey and her upcoming album Fool Under Water is an honour song of her metamorphosis.
75 words -
With her soulful voice and lyrics that wash over the minds and hearts of audiences like waves, singer-songwriter Ila Barker is a force to be reckoned with.This folk-soul artist of Anishinaabe and settler heritage, takes listeners on an introspective journey, inviting them to connect deeply with their own emotions. Her upcoming album Fool Under Water (2022) is an honour song to her metamorphosis into the powerhouse she is today and a promise that the tide will turn.
Biography
150 words -
With her soulful voice and lyrics that wash over the minds and hearts of audiences like waves, singer-songwriter Ila Barker is a force to be reckoned with. This Winnipeg based folk-soul artist of Anishinaabe and settler heritage, takes listeners on an introspective journey, inviting them to connect deeply with their own emotions. As an act of reciprocity, Ila mentors emerging Indigenous artists in AIRsessions, her self-curated music workshop series. Ila has taken the stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Regina Folk Festival, sākihiwē festival, and opened for Jeremy Dutcher’s sold out performance at the Indian River Festival in PEI. After the release of her self-titled debut album (2013) Ila took time to mindfully refine her artistry, embarking on a creative evolution, and emerging with a self-determine sound. Her upcoming album Fool Under Water (2022) is an honour song to her metamorphosis into the powerhouse she is today and a promise that the tide will turn.
352 words -
In 2017, Winnipeg-based Anishinaabe and settler folk-soul musician Ila Barker held a guitar on her lap as a friend confided in her the details of an abusive relationship. Barker sang her friend’s words back to her, softly strumming the strings and turning anguish into a serendipitous self-serenade. Eventually that song became the title track of Barker’s debut full-length album, Fool Under Water, a tough-but-tender testament to the possibility of survival, forged as she swam ashore herself.
To write Fool Under Water, Barker spent seven years reflecting on her own survival, alongside that of the women around her. The elegantly rugged candor at the heart of the album’s storytelling was amassed through experience. “My first thought as I started packing my bags to leave was ‘what am I going to do?’” says Barker. “My second thought was ‘but damn, these are gonna be some good songs.’”
Barker’s astute observations and vulnerable introspection create a safe basin for those still swimming their way through rough waters. “I want listeners to have a moment to grieve the things that they've gone through, but also to picture a future that is brighter,” she says.
On lead single “Intuition,” Barker sagely sings “Trust yourself, you know best,” reminding all of us to listen closely to our own truths when we feel we might be sinking.
After years of writing, Barker recorded Fool Under Water at Winnipeg’s No Fun Club studio alongside producers Sierra Noble and Rusty Matyas in August 2021. “A lot of people think I took a break from music. The truth is I was in survival mode,” she says.
Barker has played the Regina Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the sākihiwē festival, and opened for Jeremy Dutcher’s sold out performance at the Indian River Festival in PEI.
Through her work as founding curator with AIRsessions, a series of free music workshops for youth, Barker advocates for gender equity and Indigenous representation in music. “I have found a deeper connection with my community and the Indigenous music community through my music journey,” she says.
Fool Under Water is a promise that the tide will turn.
NOTABLE shows
October 21, 2022 Fool Under Water Release + Release Party at The Good Will
September 29, 2022 National Centre Truth & Reconciliation Live Event in Mississauga
August 2, 2022 Whoop and Hollar Festival
August 13, 2022 Poor Michael’s
April 27, 2022 Opening for Leela Gilday at The Good Will Social Club (band)
April 2022 Winterruption at X-Cues (band)
February 23-27, 2022 Folk Alliance International (Virtual) (band)
February 21, 2022 Festival du Voyageur (band)
February 2-6, 2022 Official Break Out West Showcasing Artist (band)
December 14, 16, 19, 2021 Zoo Lights Festival (16th band)
October 2021 Vision Quest Conference
September 2021 Folk Music Ontario - Official Showcase Artist
September 2021 Sherbrook Street Festival at The Beer Can
September 2021 Harvest Moon Festival
August 2021 Burt Block Party
2020 & 2019, 2021 sakihiwe festival
August 2021 Sidewalk Soirees (Fete Jockey)
August 2021 Winnipeg Folk Festival Songwriter Round at Assiniboine Park
July 2021 Calgary Folk Festival (emceeing)
July 2021 Cando Youth Summit
July 2021 Gimli Film Festival
May 2021 Central Neighbourhoods Winnipeg AGM
May 2021 RBC Global Citizen Awards
May 2021 RBC National Indigenous Peoples History Month Event
March 2021 #CanadaWeWant Youth Conference
March 2021 First Nations Health Advocate event
Feb 2021 Folk Alliance - Folk Unlocked Breakout West room
Dec 2020 RBCxMusic First Up Performance Series (alumni)
August 2020 RBCxMusic First Up Performance Series
June 2020 Vancouver Car Free Days
June 2020 Trout Forest Music Festival x NAC
May 2020 Manitoba Music Manitoba Live Sessions
May 2020 NAC Canada Performs
September 2020 Woodland Cultural Centre
2019 Indian River Festival PEI
2019 Folk Alliance International Indigenous Showcase artist
2019 Folk Music Ontario Official Showcasing Artist
2019 Regina Folk Festival
2018 Winnipeg Folk Festival