DD Podcast

We've featured her in our DD Spotlight series, we've grilled her in our Behind The Beats blog series and we've joined her in the studio for DD Studio Sessions. Now we're giving you a glimpse of her life outside of music.  On this week's series finale of Beyond The Mic, we catch up with one of our all-time faves: Iskwé. See what she had to say about life as a student, collaborating on a graphic novel with award-winning author David Alex Robertson and more. 

Manitoba's Dave Boulanger may best be known as the award-winning front man of Burnt-Project 1, but accolades are the furthest thing from his mind. (Just ask his Juno, which currently serves as a paperweight on his mother's desk.)  Whether he's writing music, painting on canvas or making drums, Dave uses art as a vehicle to not only express himself, but to share stories, connect with his culture and build community. On the latest episode of Beyond The Mic, see what he had to say spirituality, working with youth and much, much more. 

You may know Alberta rocker Bebe Buckskin for her raw vocals, authentic vibe and delightful fusion of genres. But did you know she's dabbled in theatre? Or that she used to barrel race at local rodeos? On the latest episode of Beyond The Mic, Bebe talks about growing up on a Metis settlement, her love for nature, the law of attraction and a whole lot more.

On last week's edition of Beyond The Mic you met MC RedCloud, one half of the power couple behind California hip-hop duo Lightning Cloud. This week we introduce you to the other better half, Crystle Lightning.  In addition to her mad rap skills, Crystle is an actress, a DJ, a bartender and a talented home chef. On the latest episode of the DD Podcast, she talks about her breakthrough movie role, her upcoming "Moosebumps" project and much, much more. 

Eighteen hours, one minute and fourteen seconds. That's how long California's MC RedCloud once rapped to break the Guinness World Record for longest freestyle.  But music is just the beginning. In addition to spitting bars, RedCloud is a father, a visual artist and one half of hip-hop duo Lightning Cloud. He's also the author, illustrator and publisher of the incredible Indigenous Legends colouring book.  On the latest episode of Beyond The Mic, see what he had to say about the "creator bug," his love for Lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) and a whole lot more.

With a slew of award nominations for her debut album, Everything and Nothing At All (2017), there's no doubt Métis singer/songwriter Celeigh Cardinal has a bright future ahead of her. But in addition to her budding music career, she also co-hosts her own podcast, runs a non-profit organization for emerging artists and loves to travel.  In this week’s episode of Beyond The Mic, Celeigh chats about her competitive nature, opening for the Beach Boys and a whole lot more. 

From his blue-collar upbringing on the Kahnawake reserve to the brights lights of L.A. to the heart of Toronto's arts scene, Mohawk artist Brendt Thomas Diabo has been on quite the journey. But even though he's best known for his signature blend of roots, rock and old-time country, there's more to his life than just music. Since getting his big break on APTN's Mohawk Girls, he's built himself an impressive acting resume and dipped his toes in the world of film production. As a carpenter by trade, he's also worked on set designs for a Star Trek movie, the TV show Suits and more.  In this week's episode of Beyond The Mic, Brendt talks about stereotypes in the film industry, his love for Link Wray and a whole lot more.

At 19 years old, the daily injustices that Desiree Dorion saw as a social worker inspired her to pursue a career in family law. Today, she works as an attorney in rural Manitoba and defends parents whose children are being taken away. But between cases, travel and motherhood, Desiree still manages to make time for her country music career.  In the latest episode of Beyond The Mic, Desiree dishes on living in the sticks, maintaining her work-life balance and much, much more.

Whether it’s on stage, in the studio, or behind the scenes, Winnipeg super bassist MJ Dandeneau is one of the hardest working artists on Canada’s Indigenous music scene. In addition to touring with the likes of Xavier Rudd, The Good Lovelies, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Leela Gilday and Digging Roots, she’s also a successful producer/engineer, booking agent and tour manager. But her path to music was far from conventional.  On this week’s episode of Beyond The Mic, MJ talks about her dashed badminton career, almost becoming an occupational therapist and much, much more. 

Attawapiskat is a remote Northern community on the west coast of James Bay, population: 1,549. It's also the home of Midnight Shine frontman Adrian Sutherland.  Despite the logistical difficulties of carving out a career in music, Adrian and the band have released three albums, reached No. 1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown (three times!) and performed at major festivals across the country. Adrian has also been invited to play in the JUNO Cup hockey game for the past two years. On this week's episode of Beyond The Mic, hear what Adrian had to say about connecting with nature, preserving his Cree culture, hitting the ice with former NHLer Daniel Alfredsson and much, much more. 

There may only be 24 hours in a day, but don't tell Tanaya Winder. In addition to her flourishing poetry career, she’s a professor, a motivational speaker, a vocalist, an entrepreneur and the founder of Dream Warriors, an Indigenous artist collective. And through it all, she's on a mission to spread love and make the world a better place. On the latest episode of Beyond The Mic, Tanaya talks about wearing her MANY hats, shares the one thing she won't travel without and much, much more. 

Last year, the DD Podcast brought you brand new music from 12 of today’s hottest Indigenous artists in our First Listen Fridays series. Now we’re back with 12 new artists and a brand new series called Beyond The Mic. Instead of introducing new tracks, we dive a bit deeper and chat with our artists about their hobbies, side hustles and everything in between. On the premiere episode of our Beyond The Mic series, multidisciplinary (and multi-talented) artist Joey Stylez talks about his nomadic spirit, his passion for fashion and much, much more.

Over the past three months, we've introduced you to brand new music from some of the top Indigenous artists across Canada. From up-and-comers like Skyler and Snotty Nose Rez Kids to more established musicians like JB The First Lady and Christa Couture, the scene is bursting with talent and the future looks brighter than ever. This week, we catch up with Haida/Cree rocker Kristi Lane Sinclair. In addition to winning Best Rock Album at this year's Indigenous Music Awards, she's a co-founder of the Red Ride Tour and recently chronicled her journey in APTN's Face The Music.  On this week's finale of First Listen Fridays, Kristi talks about everything from touring the country to her fear of sharp objects. She also introduces a new song she's working on called Grit. 

A big reason we launched the DD Podcast was to share new music from Canada's next wave of Indigenous artists. An even bigger reason was to share their stories.  This week, we introduce you to Skyler, an Ojibwe-German rapper from Sandy Bay, Manitoba. After his parents passed away, he bounced around in foster homes before settling in Canada at the age of 16. As he dealt with the culture shock and learned about the history of residential schools, hip hop became more than just music - it became a source of healing. At only 19, he already has four mixtapes under his belt and just dropped a new album featuring fellow Winnipegger Arrow-C. On Episode 11 of First Listen Fridays, Skyler and Arrow-C talk about working with Grammy-nominated producer Fresh IE, how they got into hip hop and more. You'll also hear the exclusive debut of their bangin' new track, House of Pain. Enjoy!

You know that feeling when you're sitting on a secret that you just can't wait to share with the world? Anxiety. Excitement. Anticipation. For the past few weeks, that's been us. Finally, on this week's brand new edition of First Listen Fridays, we have the privilege of introducing you to Sierra Noble's latest side project. As one half of Beyond Hope, she's teamed up with New Yorker Matt Krahula for a sound that's completely different, completely authentic and completely awesome. Drawing on their similar backgrounds and building on past collaborations, the duo has managed to develop some serious sonic chemistry and create something truly special. But don't take our word for it. On Episode 10 of First Listen Fridays, you'll hear the exclusive premiere of Beyond Hope's first single, Where We Belong. We also catch up with Sierra and Matt at their cabin studio in upstate New York to talk about their evolution as individual artists, their decision to team up and more. 

Time truly does fly when you're having fun. The days are getting shorter, stores are stocking up for Halloween (it seems to get earlier every year!), and we're already up to Episode 9 of First Listen Fridays. This week we're thrilled to share our interview with Toronto-based singer-songwriter Christa Couture. In addition to being a whiskey drinker, a seasonal knitter, a non-fiction writer, a project manager, and a self-described cyborg, she's a crazy talented musician.  On this week’s edition of First Listen Fridays, hear what she had to say about touring, recording in Nashville and more. She also gives us the exclusive premiere of Happy or Unhappy, a track that almost made the cut on her most recent album, Long Time Leaving. 

You may have heard beat boxing, but you've never heard beat boxing like this. On this episode of First Listen Fridays, you'll meet Nunavut's Nelson Tagoona, the pioneer of a distinct and dynamic art form called throat boxing. Fusing elements of traditional Inuit throat singing and live looping with standard beat boxing, Nelson has created a sound that honours his culture, embraces technology and resonates with audiences across the world. This week, Nelson talks about inspiring youth through music, sharing the stage with Nelly Furtado at Aboriginal Day Live and more. You'll also hear the exclusive premiere of his powerful new beat, The Rain Can't Stop.

The DD Podcast is back with another First Listen Friday, and this week you're in for a treat. We were first introduced to Cody Purcell (aka Cody Coyote) a few years ago, and connected with him for a 20 Questions interview in 2016. As we quickly learned, there's a lot more to Cody than his music. Growing up in Ottawa’s East End, he discovered drugs at a young age and fell in with a rough crowd. Fueled by anger and a steady dose of alcohol, his adolescence revolved around violence, crime and depression. Then, at the age of 20, he tried to kill himself. This week on First Listen Fridays, Cody talks about getting sober, discovering his culture, reflecting reality through art and using his music to inspire others. He also premieres Someday, the first single from his forthcoming album, Mamawi.   

Welcome to another First Listen Friday, music fans! If you've been following our podcast for the past five weeks, you've heard in-depth interviews and hot new tracks from Shawnee, Sister Says, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Ghostkeeper and Kelly Fraser. Today we hit the midpoint of our First Listen Fridays series with one of our all-time faves, JB the First Lady. Since breaking onto the scene as one of Canada's first Indigenous female hip-hop artists, JB has remained true to her roots and paved the way for an exciting new wave of female MCs. She also practices what she preaches in her music, empowering young Indigenous women across the country, advocating for Indigenous rights and giving back to her community in countless ways. This week, JB premieres a banger from her forthcoming album and talks about everything from the origin of her stage name and performing at Aboriginal Day Live to reflecting history through art and the healing power of hip hop.

Another Friday, another First Listen! This week, we turn our microphone to the North and interview Nunavut pop artist Kelly Fraser. Hailing from a small community of 1,000 people, Kelly first gained recognition back in 2013 when her Inuktitut version of Rihanna's Diamonds went viral (239,000 views and counting!). She has since gained a loyal following and put her platform to good use, advocating for Indigenous rights and educating people about life in the North. Hear what Kelly had to say about the Inuit legend that inspired her new album and sharing her culture through music. You’ll also get a first listen to her unreleased track, Complaining.

We're now four episodes deep in First Listen Fridays, and we want to thank you all for checking it out. It's been such a privilege sharing unheard tracks (and the stories behind them) from Shawnee, Sister Says and the Snotty Nose Rez Kids ft. Hellnback. This week we go a little more experimental on you, featuring the dynamic and ever-evolving Calgary indie group Ghostkeeper. Fronted by long-time partners Shane Ghostkeeper and Sarah Houle, the band has released three albums incorporating everything from country and rock to African pop and traditional Aboriginal pow-wow music. In the latest episode of First Listen Fridays, they talk to us about the dystopian nature of their latest album, romanticizing their Metis upbringing and more. You'll also get a first listen to their haunting track, Three Winters Old.

Welcome to the third episode of First Listen Fridays!  This week we’re back with a track from Haisla hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids. With their brand new mixtape right around the corner, MCs Yung Trybez (aka Zazaxsmalis) and Young D (aka Darren Metz) talk to us about making music, life on the rez, and flipping the script on Indigenous stereotypes. You'll also get an exclusive first listen to their scorching new track, Growing Pains, featuring Winnipeg rapper Hellnback.

Welcome to the second episode of First Listen Fridays! We hope you enjoyed last week's premiere featuring Shawnee and her brand new track, Warrior Heart. This week we're back with Vancouver's soulful indie group, Sister Says. Fronted by sibling duo Gillian and Rob Thomson, they collaborated with Toronto-based composer Shin Kim for this week's track more than seven years ago. While First Night was recorded, mastered and even pressed, it never saw the light of day -- until now. On Episode 2 of First Listen Fridays, hear what Gill and Rob had to say about making the track, the road trip that spawned it, and much, much more.  

Welcome to the premiere episode of First Listen Fridays! Over the next 12 Fridays, we'll be dropping exclusive first listens and chatting about all things music with a dozen of today's hottest Indigenous artists. This week, we're stoked to share with you Shawnee's brand new single, Warrior Heart. Written as a response to the suicide crisis in Northern Canadian communities, the track was recorded with PowWowStep producer DJ Shub at the Villa Sound studio in Ontario. According to Shawnee, the song "acknowledges and speaks to the youth in native communities dealing with, and battling, depression and suicide," and draws on her own struggles and experiences. Certain to become an anthem for generations to come, Warrior Heart abounds with emotion, empathy, empowerment, and - most of all - hope.