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FYI

Bear Witness Furthers Halluci Nation Concept Through X Avant Festival

When Ottawa electronic act A Tribe Called Red (ATCR) opened the 2017 Juno Awards broadcast, it wasn't just an important moment of mainstream recognition for the band, it was also a sign, a spark that showed the indigenous musical renaissance happening in Canada was real and here to stay.

Bear Witness Furthers Halluci Nation Concept Through X Avant Festival

By Aaron Brophy

When Ottawa electronic act A Tribe Called Red (ATCR) opened the 2017 Juno Awards broadcast, it wasn't just an important moment of mainstream recognition for the band, it was also a sign, a spark that showed the indigenous musical renaissance happening in Canada was real and here to stay.


Perhaps just as symbolically crucial as Tribe's performance, though, was the fact that Buffy Sainte-Marie was the one who introduced the band that night. A 10-time Juno nominee and a seven-time winner, Sainte-Marie is about as good a moral compass as you can find in this world.

According to Bear Witness, one-half of A Tribe Called Red along with 2oolman, Sainte-Marie took a moment to share a valuable observation with him at the side of the stage.

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"We were waiting to go on stage to do our performance," he tells Samaritanmag, "and when she walked back down from introducing us, I was quietly thanking her and saying it means so much that you're here to introduce us and she squeezed my hand and looked up at me and said, 'Bear, it used just to be me here.'"

– Continue reading Aaron Brophy’s Q&A with Bear Witness on the SamaritanMag website.

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EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.
Courtesy of Girl Connected

EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.

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On Friday (March 28), the president of EMPIRE, the Bay Area-independent label and music company, came to Toronto for Conversation with the Pros offering tangible advice to the mentorship program's community. Davis also spoke to Billboard Canada about her impressive journey in the industry.

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On Friday (March 28), Tina Davis, president of EMPIRE, sat down with Girl Connected founder and music industry veteran Lola Plaku at Toronto Metropolitan University for the first in-person Canadian edition of Conversations with the Pros (Billboard Canada was a supporting partner). The series brings in inspiring music industry figures from Girl Connected's international network to talk about their journeys and offer actionable information and advice to help the budding music professionals develop their skills and reach the next level of their careers.

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