Press release –
Don’t bother with anything but honesty with Thea May. An emo kid at heart, the Anishinaabe artist from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, ON, makes music because she has to.
On her new single “Last Life”, May channels grief through a distinctly alternative lens, fusing raw rock energy with introspective, lyric-driven storytelling. She sings, “Hope this is my last life / Almost called the hotline / Not one more familiar face / I think I’m gonna flatline.”
Out on Ishkōdé Records, the song grapples with hyper-empathy, generational weight, and the feeling of repeated incarnation, returning to the same emotional terrain in different forms over and over again. Laced with dark humour and self-awareness, the references to red wine, bloodlines, hotlines, and borderline are very intentional.
“It’s how I cope. It’s not a cry for help, it’s a side-eye at the clichés you lean on when you’re emotionally and spiritually overloaded and still expected to function,” shares May.
The title itself should not be looked at as despair, but rather as resolution. It reflects a desire for this lifetime to be the one where cycles break, and relief finally feels earned.
Thea May will headline Madwewetoon on March 24 at Knox Hall in Sudbury, alongside Drives The Common Man, James N. Wilson and Lisa Marie Naponse. Madwewetoon, which translates to “make it sound” in Ojibwe, is a celebration of Indigenous arts & culture in Northern Ontario, presented in collaboration between the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund and Canada’s Music Incubator.
(pronounced “Thee-uh” May)
As a child, singing, dancing and performing were driven by impulse, an inner force of truth that found its way out. Now, as an adult, Thea May is a songwriter finding her purpose, or more accurately, understanding the purpose that found her. “My artist journey hurts sometimes, but it’s healing, and it’s important that I am here to share this with the world,” says May.
Mining, both as a metaphor for the emotional depths explored in her songs and an actual day job for a time, is a handy prompt to consider what it might be like to be in May’s position: an artist out of instinct, raw talent, and out of necessity. There’s something very precious within. “We bare our souls so you don’t have to; we provide safe space in an unsafe place. I’m grateful to be able to connect with people who share pain in this world.”
A kindred bridge enthusiast, May is determined to craft her own distinct eras, starting with Brought To You By Tragedy (March 2025), an EP that established her powerful, once-in-a-generation voice and clear directive. Her next body of work moves beyond grief and into a ‘no pity party’ phase. This new direction is a raw, unvarnished document of survival, where she rejects performative care and refuses consolation. Rooted in May’s Anishinaabe identity and lived experience, her sound is driven by 90’s grunge guitars and fearless rock vocals. “I am on this journey for every version of me that suffered, I am on this journey for every person who fears that sadness and darkness are all that exists, I am on this journey to normalize a path we all walk.”
What’s The Story about Ishkōdé Records?
Ishōdé Records is an Indigenous women-owned music company founded to ignite and amplify Indigenous voices, songs, and stories. Founded by artists, organizers, and activists Anishinaabekwe ShoShona Kish (Digging Roots) and solo artist Amanda Rheaume (Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario), Ishkōdé approaches the music industry through a lens of artist- and women-led entrepreneurship, rooted in cultural strength and long-standing industry experience.
Launched in 2021 and based in Tkaronto (Toronto), Ishkōdé Records—meaning “fire” in Anishinaabemowin—has quickly become home to a powerful roster of emerging and established Indigenous artists. Founders of the International Indigenous Music Summit, Kish and Rheaume, lead the label in its animating principle to raise resistance to colonial industry structures while building a new, values-driven space for Indigenous creativity to thrive.
In 2025, Kish and Rheaume were featured on The Hollywood Reporter’s second annual Power List, highlighting trailblazers who are fighting back, breaking through and building the future of film, TV and music north of the border. In 2023, Ishkōdé was named Organization of the Year by Women in Music Canada and received CIMA’s “Make It Stronger” Award, affirming its impact across the industry. Ishkōdé Records’ distribution partner is Universal Music Canada.
“Last Life” Single Credits
Written by: Theadora May Naponse, Alexandra Jelilyan, Marc Koecher
Produced by: Illegal Audio (Marc Koecher, Alexandra Jelilyan)
Recording engineer: Marc Koecher
Mixed by: Marc Koecher
Mastered by: Kristian Montano
Musicians
Theadora May Naponse: Lead Vocals
Marc Koecher: Guitar, Drums, Bass, Programming
Alexandra Jelilyan: Background Vocals
