Young Spirit drum group shares Cree round dance song on Grammy Awards red carpet
'Be proud of who you are, where you come from and what our people represent'
Heads turned and the sound of traditional drumming and singing filled the air on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards Sunday night in Los Angeles.
Surrounding reporters and fellow red carpet guests alike pulled out their phones capturing video and pictures of Young Spirit performing a Cree round dance song.
"Our group's name is Young Spirit for a reason," said the group's co-founder Jacob Faithful.
"And we collectively have all joined together to stand behind the mandate of keeping our culture alive."
Crowd gathers to listen to Frog Lake, Alberta-based group Young Spirit perform what they told me is a Cree round dance. They were nominated for best regional roots album. Said they hope the music inspires Indigenous youth to “stand up and be proud” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Grammy2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Grammy2019</a> <a href="https://t.co/jcvP5Ot1GY">pic.twitter.com/jcvP5Ot1GY</a>
—@ZulekhaNathooYoung Spirit is made up of members from across Canada and the United States.
The group is based in Frog Lake, Alta., but there are 16 singers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Arizona and California.
Faithful said when one media outlet asked to do an interview with them on the red carpet, he suggested they sing a quick song.
Their album Mewasinsational – Cree Round Dance Songs was nominated for Best Regional Roots Music Album but lost to Hawaiian musician Kalani Pe'a's No 'Ane'i.
"We want to inspire youth and young people everywhere across the globe to pick up the drum and sing our song," said Faithful.
"Stand proud. Be proud of who you are, where you come from and what our people represent."
With files from Zulekha Nathoo