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Musician Adrian Sutherland: Attawapiskat, The Far North And Covid-19

 

Musician Adrian Sutherland: Attawapiskat, The Far North And Covid-19

By Aaron Brophy

 


Life in Attawapiskat, the isolated First Nation community on the western edge of James Bay, isn't easy. There was a suicide crisis in 2015-16 (an estimated 100 of Attawapiskat's 2,700 residents attempted to take their own lives during this time). A housing crisis in 2011-12 brought on by flooding and inadequate infrastructure required substantial investments just to meet the community's basic needs. And, last year, high levels of chemical byproducts in the community's water plant caused a water crisis which necessitated the use of two emergency reverse osmosis filtration systems to supply the community.

Attawapiskat resident, solo musician and frontman for rock act Midnight Shine Adrian Sutherland has seen it all. And he's not impressed.

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Sutherland, who's also an artist ambassador for the Downie Wenjack Fund — launched by the late Gord Downie in honour of residential school runaway Chanie Wenjack, to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all Canadians — released the pointed protest song "Politician Man," in which he asks, "Hey, Mr. Politican Man, what have you done for me lately?" The answers are... uneven.

Samaritanmag spoke to Sutherland about "Politician Man," the Far North, and the issues in Attawapiskat.

Have you been affected by the coronavirus in the North?

Here in Attawapiskat and other fly-in communities on the James Ba.y, unnecessary flights in-and-out have been restricted, and the only items coming in are food and supplies - Continue reading on Samaritanmag website.

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Karan Aujla
Photography team: Ishmil Waterman, Lane Dorsey, Sasha Jairam/Billboard Canada. Styling by Veronika Lipatova, Nikita Jaisinghani, Aliecia Brisette. Makeup & Hair by Franceline Graham.

Karan Aujla


Chart Beat

Canadian-Punjabi Artists Ikky & Karan Aujla Make YouTube’s Top 10 Most-Watched Videos of 2023

The two artists, who were part of Billboard Canada's Punjabi Wave cover, sit amongst the top artists in the world on YouTube's list.

Ikky and Karan Aujla continue to take their place alongside the biggest artists in the world. After making the highest-charting Punjabi album debut in Canadian history this year, the two Punjabi-Canadian artists are now among Canada’s top most-watched music videos of 2023 on YouTube.

Two of Ikky and Aujla’s collaborations made the top 10 list, with “52 Bars” at No. 3 and “Take It Easy” at No. 8, both from their Four You EP.

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