Northern musician Leela Gilday channeled her voice into uplifting her Dene community through mental health advocacy at the 漠da脿 TsSA国际影视传媒檃de gathering earlier this year.

During the youth gathering in Behchok貌, we discussed how her authenticity towards her Dene heritage within her music and advocacy work is helping to shift the narrative around mental health awareness for youth in the N.W.T.

The Juno Award-winning Dene music artist shared that sheSA国际影视传媒檚 SA国际影视传媒渇allen back in loveSA国际影视传媒� with her song Northstar Calling after it helped her feature local Northern youth on the anthem for the SA国际影视传媒楩eel Out LoudSA国际影视传媒� campaign launched by Kids Help Phone.

SA国际影视传媒淢ental health and youth mental health has always been a focus of mine as an Indigenous artist. Our rates of suicide in the North with our people are very high, and especially amongst our youth, so thatSA国际影视传媒檚 been something that I speak out about as an artist,SA国际影视传媒� she explained.

The music video SA国际影视传媒淲hat I WouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 Do (Northstar Calling)SA国际影视传媒�, which features scenes of Behchok貌 students by Stagg River, has reached more than 1 million views on YouTube since it was released in March. It was a project for the Kids Help Phone campaign that was recorded with more than 50 music artists from across Canada.

SA国际影视传媒淚 was really happy to be able to represent the North and also shine a light on some of our Indigenous youth,SA国际影视传媒� added Gilday. SA国际影视传媒淥ur stories and our point of views are so unique. It just makes the world a better place to have our stories told on a larger level.SA国际影视传媒�

On the topic of Indigenous artists rising within the media and music industries, Gilday spoke about how her own journey as a musician stemmed from her roots in the NWT. She explains that her dad is a musician and her mom is a great lover of music, adding theySA国际影视传媒檝e always encouraged her and her brother and sister to sing.

That contributed to her first music performance being at Folk on the Rocks when she was eight years old.

SA国际影视传媒淭hat was a big audience for me at the time, and I was totally nervous, but I loved it,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 love the feeling I get when ISA国际影视传媒檓 singing and I can be in that channel. I really feel like music and singing is a gift from the creator and I just become the channel.

SA国际影视传媒淣ow ISA国际影视传媒檓 working on my sixth record. I always like to push my boundaries because as a person, weSA国际影视传媒檙e always growing, weSA国际影视传媒檙e always changing, so for me, my journey right now is about reclaiming my language. As an adult thatSA国际影视传媒檚 a really challenging thing for me. This next record is all gonna be in Dene languages.SA国际影视传媒�

Gilday said that the newest project sheSA国际影视传媒檚 working on is an album that features three different Dene languages.

SA国际影视传媒淪o weSA国际影视传媒檙e in the middle of working on that,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Her dedication to embracing her Dene culture is a quality thatSA国际影视传媒檚 deeply entwined within her career. She offers insight on this by describing how she hopes to continue reaching as many people as possible through her music as a way to SA国际影视传媒榯ell people about us, about the North, about Dene, and just how proud we are, how unique we areSA国际影视传媒�.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e still here, weSA国际影视传媒檙e still strong, and weSA国际影视传媒檙e still healthy despite hundreds of years of the colonial agenda,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淎nd the other thing that I like to talk about is that really important connection with the land and the water, like I said in my speech (at the gathering). I think itSA国际影视传媒檚 a futuristic world view because weSA国际影视传媒檙e into a climate crisis. The world needs to rediscover these ways of living in sustainable balance with the Earth, and thatSA国际影视传媒檚 embodied in the Dene worldview.SA国际影视传媒�

She reflected on the resilient spirit of Dene and their culture in the NWT, adding, SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 only just like one or two generations that we had family who were born on the land, born in a tent, or born and raised on the land. Whereas for other Indigenous people or other people around the world, itSA国际影视传媒檚 been many more generations removed. So that connection is really strong, really beautiful. I find it unique.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檝e done a lot of work in Indigenous communities, and specifically in Dene communities with young people, on finding and valuing their own voice. So much of what we see in social media and popular culture doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 center our voices, like what we consider to be the most important voices arenSA国际影视传媒檛 necessarily our own as Indigenous people.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 hard when youSA国际影视传媒檙e a young person and youSA国际影视传媒檙e trying to find out what to do for money, what to do for a career, because this whole system kind of gears you towards that. But really whatSA国际影视传媒檚 more important is, what do you love to do? What will improve your community, make yourself and other people more rich? Not monetarily rich, but like how could you help? I think thatSA国际影视传媒檚 sort of been the determining factor for why I move forward with music as a career because I feel like my voice is important and it contributes to the health and the wealth of our whole global society.

SA国际影视传媒淚f youSA国际影视传媒檙e a young person just trying to figure out what to do with your life, I think itSA国际影视传媒檚 important to look inside and really see whatSA国际影视传媒檚 important to you. What are your strengths and skills? What role do you play in your community? And I think the answer is really inside.SA国际影视传媒�