Biography
Originally from Pikogan, a small Indigenous community in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Samian has won over audiences by proudly wearing the colours of an entire people, for whom he claims respect and recognition. Discovered in 2004 thanks to the Wapikoni Mobile project, he has since released 5 albums, one of which, Face à la musique (2011), won a Félix at the ADISQ gala for hip-hop album of the year. He has performed across Canada and in over a dozen countries around the world. He has also published a collection of poetry featuring lyrics from his first 3 albums. Some of his lyrics are now included in various school textbooks in Quebec. In February 2016, he was awarded the prestigious Artist for Peace prize, which is recognized across Canada.
Samian is also a photographer. He took part in the 10th World Press Photo Montreal Exhibition (2015), for which he was spokesperson. The following year, he presented his first photographic exhibition, Enfant de la terre, at Place des Arts. Since then, his work has been shown in many galleries, museums and theatres across Quebec. A book containing the complete exhibition was published in 2016.
Samian made his big screen debut in the film Roche Papier Ciseaux (2013), alongside Roy Dupuis. He then appeared in Scratch (2014) and Chasse-Galerie: La légende (2016). He landed a lead role in François Girard's Hochelaga: Terre des âmes, which represented Canada in the race for the Oscars (2018) in the Best Foreign Language Film category. He also starred in the film Bootlegger (2021) and had another leading role in the feature film L'inhumain (2022), for which he won Best Actor at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco.
Samian has also appeared on the small screen in the series Aller Simple (2022) and Pour toi Flora (2022).
His fifth album, Nikamo (2021), entirely in the Anishinaabe language , was well received upon its release. The album received 2 nominations at the last ADISQ Gala and won an award at the last Teweikan Indigenous Music Gala (2022).
Samian is now at the helm of the very first radio show dedicated entirely to showcasing Indigenous artists in Quebec on Radio-Canada's Ici Musique service. The show won gold in its first season at the New York Festival Radio Awards. This competition rewards the best radio programs from around the world.
Samian has also hosted the documentary series En Marge du Monde since 2019 on TV5 Monde. This TV show is now in its 3rd season.
Since late summer 2023, Samian has been president of a new production company, Trinome Nikamo Inc., which he founded with Valérie Beaulieu and Christine Simard. Drawing on the production experience of the Trinome et filles team, this new company will make its mark and produce quality content that reflects the values of its president.