Ansley Simpson is a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabe multimedia sound artist and musician living in Gichi Kiiwenging (Toronto). Informed by a living dialogue between land and being, Ansley works to illuminate the hidden Anishinaabe world in the city they live in. Using their Sonic Gathering method based on traditional gathering practices, Ansley transforms sound into immersive installations, weaving traditional sounds with those gathered from the land. Bridging traditional practices with contemporary sound approaches, Simpson’s compositions are layered with meaning while their lyric and storytelling abilities highlight their natural ability to perform. 

Beginning their artistic practice in songwriting, Ansley debut album Breakwall garnered two Indigenous Music Nominations and won Best New Artist. Their second album, She Fell from the Sky, reimagines a story of Sky Woman and was celebrated as “a high-concept, lush and gorgeous album that’s full of layered levels of storytelling.” (CBC Reclaimed). In 2021, they collaborative work on Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s album “Theory of Ice'' landed a coveted place on the Polaris Prize shortlist. 

Ansley’s current work continues their Sonic Gathering practice with Maamigin (They Gather them Together) a multimedia installation made from the sounds of flint knapping, bone tool and pigment making, field recordings showcase with charcoal imprints of a burned log (Aknumustiǂis Residency at the Banff Centre 2025). Simpson is the current Creative Director of The Place where we Gather to Listen, a permanent sound installation at Rouge National Urban Park, a public sound installation involving 12 artists and groups from the surrounding Indigenous communities for permanent installation in 2027. 

Their scoring work includes season 2 and 3 of Amplify (Created by Shane Belcourt for APTN), Tanya Talaga’s documentary Spirit to Soar, and Northern Feathers, love, culture, harm-reduction (Jason Ciparone). They are currently recording a new solo album supported by the OAC and TAC, a collection of songs written from walking the same paths their ancestors walked in Gichi Kiiwenging (Toronto) for release in 2026.