Press release –
Shub continues the rollout of Heritage (Part Two) with “I Know,” a soulful new collaboration with Toronto-based Cree singer-songwriter Sebastian Gaskin. The track brings together two Indigenous artists whose sounds move fluidly across genres, blending Shub’s signature electronic production and pow wow influences with Gaskin’s smooth, emotive R&B vocal style.
Written during a session defined by instant creative chemistry, “I Know” captures a sense of ease and instinct that carried through the entire process.
“Working on this one with Sebastian was one of those sessions where the chemistry was instant,” Shub explains. “We clicked right away and the ideas just kept flowing. We actually ended up writing two songs that day, but this one stood out the moment it started coming together. The melody, the vibe, the feeling in the room—it all just locked in naturally. Sometimes a record just finds its own lane when the right people are in the room, sharing the same energy and building something in the moment.”
Lyrically, “I Know” explores devotion, trust, and the magnetic pull of something that keeps drawing you back. Lines like “Every time that you come around / You got me” and “Every time that I’m feeling down / You pull me up” ground the song with a sense of emotional reciprocity. For Gaskin, that connection runs deeper than romance.
“Shub & I wrote this one imagining our cultures as a lover,” he explains. “The way they hold us and steady us and make us feel whole when the weight of the world creeps in. It is about returning to where we come from and remembering that our roots do not just ground us, they love us back.”
The accompanying music video expands on this sense of movement and connection, following Shub and Gaskin through a late night drive across Toronto before culminating in a rooftop performance overlooking the city skyline. The visuals mirror the reflective, intimate energy of the track, capturing two artists navigating the night while staying anchored to the roots that guide them forward.
With “I Know,” Shub continues to build on the themes at the heart of the Heritage project: exploring identity, connection, and the ways culture can act as both foundation and source of strength in an ever-changing world.
The single follows previously released tracks “Legacy” (feat. DJ Paul & Nova Rx) and “Eye of the Storm” (feat. Natasha Fisher). Stay tuned for Heritage (Part Two), out May 1!
HeritageWhat’s The Story about Heritage?
With Heritage, a two-part body of work and the most ambitious project of his career, Shub is making a statement not just about where he’s been, but about where Indigenous music is headed. Whether through groundbreaking new music, creative collaborations, or advocating for the identity of his community, Shub’s presence in the industry is a force of innovation, culture, and identity.
“Heritage is about bridging generations,” Shub explains. “It’s about taking what our ancestors passed down and making sure it continues to evolve. Our culture isn’t stuck in the past — it’s alive, it’s powerful, and it belongs on the biggest stages in the world.”
Heritage (Part One) arrived as a stripped-down, raw statement of identity, shifting away from overt political messaging in favour of hard-hitting, celebratory rhythms that expanded Shub’s sonic palette into hip-hop, ’90s-era IDM, dub-infused trip-hop, and the heavy bass of drill.
“My previous album War Club was like a weapon,” Shub says. “Heritage is more about where I come from —bringing my culture forward, introducing it to new spaces, and showcasing who I am.”
Heritage (Part Two) is the direct continuation of that vision, completing what Part One began. What started as a single album became something larger than expected.
“In the beginning there was never a plan for a Part Two,” Shub reflects. “Realizing the project needed to be split was the first real tough decision, but it ended up letting the music breathe and tell the full story instead of cramming everything into one release. The concepts and inspirations stayed the same the whole time, but the overall feeling became more complete once both records existed.”
What’s The Story about Shub?
Shub (formerly known as DJ Shub) is a Mohawk artist, producer, and composer from Six Nations of the Grand River, and the pioneer behind the powwow-step genre. A former member of the JUNO-winning A Tribe Called Red, he helped define a new era of Indigenous electronic music with the breakout track “Electric Pow Wow Drum,” now exceeding 25 million streams. His solo career has since taken him from the DMC World Championships to the Canadian Screen Awards, where he won Best Original Song for his soundtrack to The Grizzlies, to the theme of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Emmy-nominated Showtime series Who Is America?
With Heritage, a two-part body of work and the most ambitious project of his career, Shub has created his most complete statement yet. Raw, genre-defying, and deeply rooted in culture, the two albums together form a full autobiography, weaving electronic, hip-hop, and powwow energy into something that belongs equally in a club, at a festival, or in someone’s headphones. Anchored by bucket-list collaborations and a commitment to bringing Indigenous music to the biggest stages in the world, Heritage Part One and Two are unmistakably Shub.
How does an emotional aftermath evolve into a creative epiphany? For award-winning Toronto-based, Tataskweyak Cree Nation multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter and producer Sebastian Gaskin, first he gets comfortable with the outcome, then gets to work sculpting his experience into a song. It’s the mark of an artist unafraid to look deeply into themselves— through the process, he creates a sonic offering designed to embrace our many broken pieces, all the while reminding us that love and vulnerability are acts of resistance.
Intentionally genre amorphous, Gaskin’s music is grounded in bold intuition and gut instinct. At once, conjuring the timeless spirit of Bill Withers and the musical virtuosity of John Mayer, with the mischievous wordplay of Post Malone and Pro Era. A dynamic producer and arranger, Gaskin’s ear for collaboration has led him to work with Evan Miles (dvsn, renforshort) and Milano (Icona Pop) to reimagine the potential of each genre he explores. He has performed at venues and festival stages around the world, supporting artists ranging from Common, T-Pain, and others.
