From poutine to Aritzia, Canada a lot to offer the world. One of the things we’ve quietly succeeded at is creating some chart-topping musicians, even producing some of personal favourite artists to listen to. There are already so many household names from Canada like Justin Bieber, Celine Dion and Drake, so this list will hopefully surprise you with some new musicians. So, without further adieu, from pop icons to indie stars, here are a few musicians that you might not have realized are Canadian!
Tate McRae
This Calgarian has had a dynamic career for someone who is only twenty-one years old. From being a dancing queen on So You Think You Can Dance in 2016 before breaking into the music scene in 2021. The way that Tate McRae has blown up in the past few years warms my heart as a fellow Canadian.McRae’s single, “you broke me first” which took her to the top ten on the charts of the Canadian Hot 100 and additionally to the top twenty of the US Billboard Hot 100. Her single “greedy” in 2023 was another success, growing her fanbase even more. Her rise to fame is continuously growing with her new album in 2025, So Close To What, resulting in her “Miss Possessive Tour” consequently being sold out! Standout tracks from this album include “It’s ok I’m ok,” “Sports car,” and “Revolving door.”
Charlotte Cardin
Charlotte Cardin is a bilingual, thirty-year-old singer and songwriter born in Montreal. Popular songs of hers include “Confetti” and “99 Nights,” which she released both in 2023. She’s worked with popular artists like Milky Chance on the song “History of Yesterday.” Now, the francophone singer lives in Paris, where she also works as a model alongside pursuing her musical career. Cardin’s sound is a blend of jazz, folk, RnB, and more! She was even named “Woman of the Year” by Billboard Canada in 2024. A personal favourite song is “Double Shifts,” which she released all the way back in 2018!
Daniel Caesar
This Canadian singer, Daniel Caesar, is a Torontonian for all our East Coasters out there! His golden era was with his 2017 album Freudian, which features his most popular songs like “Best Part (feat. H.E.R.),” “Get You (feat. Kali Uchis),” “Blessed,” “We Find Love,” and “Hold Me Down.” He was nominated for three Grammys because of this album, resulting in one win with the “Best R&B Performance” for the song “Best Part (feat. H.E.R.).” He has also collaborated with Justin Bieber on their song “Peaches,” which resulted in more Grammy nominations. His sound can be described as RnB with a soul and gospel side. He has more hits like “Japanese Denim,” which he released in 2018. He was even featured in the opening song in Tyler the Creator’s Chromakopia album on the song, “St. Chroma (feat. Daniel Caesar)”
Arcade Fire
King of nostalgia for music in the 2010s, Arcade Fire is a Canadian eclectic indie rock band from Montreal. Their standout album that was released in 2010 is The Suburbs, which won Juno Awards, a Grammy Award, and the Polaris Music Prize. This album is also certified double platinum in Canada. The standout track is, unsurprisingly, “The Suburbs,” the album’s title track. Another popular song of theirs is “Everything Now,” which is a personal favourite song of mine to this day. This track exudes an unflinchingly hopeful yet hopeful message about society. I also really like the woodwind or flute-like instrument that plays in the background, which is apparently sampled from the song “The Coffee Cola Song” by Francis Bebey. They’ve also just released a single called “Year of the Snake” which will be featured on their upcoming album, Pink Elephant. I’m already obsessed with this new track, so I’m excited to hear their new music on the album.
Alvvays
This dream-like indie Canadian band Alvvays (pronounced “Always”) consists of band members from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Their peak, IMO, was the mid-to-late 2010s with the release of their first two albums, Alvvays and Antisocialites. In their second album, released in 2017, there are so many tracks worth listening to, like “Not My Baby,” “In Undertow,” and “Dreams Tonite.” To this date, they’ve still only released three albums (with the most recent (though the verdict with me is still out on whether or not there are any bangers on it, Blue Rev, having been released in 2022. Though, I could see songs like “After The Earthquake” growing on me after a few more listens. Now, they are based in Toronto, and they still perform occasionally, though it’s unfortunately mostly in America.
Metric
If I’m being honest, the only track I know from Metric is their song “Black Sheep,” which was released in 2010. However, that doesn’t stop them from being relevant on this list. This alternative electronic rock band was started in 1998 in Toronto. What stands out to me in this band is their lead singer, Emily Haines, who has breathy yet powerful vocals that support their sound, making it distinct. This band features heavy drums and loud synths, so if that’s your vibe, then this band is definitely worth checking out.
PARTYNEXTDOOR
You can’t get more Canadian than having your hit track having the word “Toronto” in the title. His real name is Jahron Anthony Brathwaite, and he’s from Mississauga, Ontario! This RnB singer, rapper and producer called PARTYNEXTDOOR features music that focuses on themes of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. I’m not too familiar with his music, but tracks like “Dreamin” or “CN TOWER” I can get behind. Other popular songs of his include “Break from Toronto” and “DIE TRYING.” Though I am definitely not the best person to ask about what songs are the best, I can say that everything I’ve listened to while writing this has been a vibe, and his vocals can be really smooth.
The Tragically Hip
Now, I couldn’t end this list without talking about the band that’s nicknamed “The most Canadian band in the world” by BBC. From a small town, Kingston, Ontario, The Tragically Hip was a Canadian secret for decades. This rock band has one of my favourite summer tracks, “Wheat Kings,” which is a calming and ear-catching track on their album, Fully Completely, which was released back in 1982. Despite having limited success outside of Canada, they are well-known in Canada for the touches of acoustic music and blues influence in their music. I know that some of my mom’s personal favourites from this band include “New Orleans Is Sinking,” “Courage (for Hugh MacLennan),” and “Grace, Too.” Gord Downie, the lead singer of the band, sadly passed away in 2017 from brain cancer, leaving us to remember his iconic musical skills by listening to the music he put his heart and soul into before his passing.
Now, this list excludes some even more notorious household names for Canadian musicians, so this list wouldn’t be complete without honouring them. So, here’s a special shout-out to Canadian artists Celine Dion, Shawn Mendes, Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Drake, Nelly Furtado, Nickelback, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Weeknd and Mother Mother. And there you have it! Those are some Canadian musicians with their roots revealed, and hey, maybe you discovered some new artists worth listening to too.