Five Western Canadian artists to follow after BreakOut West 2026
Vancouver art-rock band Hope Slide was among the artists showcasing at BreakOut West 2026 in Victoria.
Photo credit: BreakOut West
BreakOut West 2026 wraps in Victoria on Oct. 4 after several days of conference programming and three nights of artist showcases. The festival brings together musicians from across Western Canada, and several of this year’s showcase artists leave Victoria with recent releases or confirmed work already ahead.
The five below all have recent releases, active projects or confirmed plans extending beyond BreakOut West. BreakOut West files the five under British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Hope Slide
Vancouver art-rock band Hope Slide played two BreakOut West showcases in 2026. The festival’s artist profile says the band has a follow-up EP and national tour dates planned for 2027, giving the Victoria appearances a clear place inside its current release and touring cycle.
Tomi Lumiere
Alberta artist Tomi Lumiere arrived at BreakOut West with a recent full-length behind him. His eight-track album Lumière was released May 22, 2026, following a run of singles earlier in the year. BreakOut West also identifies Lumiere as a 2025 Western Canadian Music Award nominee for Rap & Hip-Hop Artist of the Year.
Beau Nectar
BreakOut West lists Beau Nectar under Saskatchewan. The National Arts Centre identifies its members as Franco-Ontarian Marie-Clo and Fransaskoise éemi. Their first English-language project, Dandy, was released May 8, 2026 through Indica Records. Beau Nectar won Pop Artist of the Year at the 2025 Saskatchewan Music Awards and received 10 Trille Or nominations, winning two awards.
INGIA
Winnipeg vocalist and saxophonist INGIA came to BreakOut West with a milestone attached to the appearance. Her own biography says the Victoria showcase was her first performance outside Winnipeg under the INGIA name and identifies her as a South Sudanese Canadian artist. Her current work includes the single “In Reflection,” the Genesis EP and the continuing Project Genesis initiative. INGIA also received an entertainment award at the 2025 Black History Month Manitoba Gala.
OSANI
Winnipeg rapper and producer OSANI identifies himself as an Indigenous and Guyanese artist who grew up in the city’s West End. His official site currently promotes “Flying High” as a current release, while BreakOut West describes his broader project as a trilogy of interconnected EPs. Further installments in that sequence remain ahead.
Toronto band Zeus is returning to the recordings that surrounded its first album for Lost & Found (The Say Us Archives), a 13-track collection arriving Oct 9, 2026 through Arts & Crafts.