Creative burst in new Indigenous music earning awards
'Artistic hunger is the trickle down effect of things our ancestors were put through,' says Logan Staats
After the Juno Awards highlighted some the influential sounds that Indigenous artists have been creating recently — see the opening performance at the Juno Awards by A Tribe Called Red and Tanya Tagaq — a more comprehensive look at the scene will be on May 19, during the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg.
Logan Staats' Goodbye Goldia is up for three awards: best folk album, best music video for the single Ash's and along with producer Derek Miller, the award for best producer/engineer.
In a 2016 interview with Unreserved, Staats credited the rich history of Six Nations in helping him reflect and create.
"[Six Nations'] Artistic hunger is the trickle down effect of things our ancestors were put through," Staats said. "We're out here and we want to be heard."
And from a short drive west of Six Nations, London's Wolf Saga — who also competed in CBC's Searchlight 2017 — is being nominated for radio single of the year for All In.
Quantum Tangle, who won the Juno for Indigenous album of the year, said they're hoping to use the award to inspire the next generation of northern artists.
"Especially if you come from a small, remote community, it's easy to buy into the notion that just because you're isolated you have less of a right to participate in the arts," singer Tiffany Ayalik said. "That's not true."
Visit the Indigenous Music Awards
And the team that puts together Unreserved also has been nominated for an award: the best radio station program — promoting Indigenous music.