It's the Ace Burpee Show Local Artist of the Month for May - Ami Cheon
Ami Cheon is a Japanese/Korean Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer from Regina, now based in Winnipeg. Music found her early — self-taught on a donated church piano and whatever she could learn from YouTube, she developed her ear in a way that was completely instinctual. That instinct carried her to Selkirk College of Music in Nelson, BC (a Berklee School of Music affiliate), where she spent three years studying performance and composition, giving language to something she already understood intuitively.
Her move to Winnipeg is where things began to take shape. Immersing herself in the local scene, she carved out a sound that feels both restrained and expansive — lush, layered vocals set against stripped-back, syncopated grooves. There’s a quiet confidence in how her music unfolds, pulling inspo from artists like Yebba, Frank Ocean, and SZA, but never leaning too heavily on reference. It’s less about influence and more about feeling — mood, texture, and emotional clarity over excess.
Her online presence holds that same restraint and intention. Covers, visualizers, fragments of unreleased work — all of it deliberate, cohesive, and slightly elusive. There’s a sense of control in what she reveals and what she holds back, which only deepens the pull. You’re not given everything, and that’s precisely the point.
That presence is beginning to ripple outward in a way that’s hard to ignore. Ami has already caught the attention of every major American label, and even R&B superstar SZA, who (after seeing Ami cover an unreleased demo of hers) has loyally followed, reached out, and continues to repost Ami to her stories. It’s momentum that reflects what’s already there.
Ami Cheon doesn’t ask to be seen — she makes work that quietly demands it.
Tune in to the Ace Burpee Show each Friday through the month of May - we will play an Ami Cheon song in the 9am hour!
Learn more:
https://www.tiktok.com/@amicheon
https://www.instagram.com/amicheon/
https://www.facebook.com/amicheonmusic/
Huge shoutout to our friends at Manitoba Music for generously supporting our Local Artist of the Month program!
Are you or someone you know interested in being considered as a Local Artist of the Month? Please email amber.saleem@bellmedia.ca
This feature is brought to you by our friends at Manitoba Music - Manitoba Music is the hub of Manitoba’s vibrant music community.
They are a member-based, not-for-profit industry association working with over 750 members in all facets of the music industry, including artists and bands, studios, agents, managers, songwriters, venues, promoters, producers, and beyond. Manitoba Music serves all genres, from rock to roots, hip hop to hardcore, country to classical, and everything in between.