By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on March 9, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com
The Empress Theatre’s Centre Stage Concert Series will feature 2020 Indigenous Music Album of the Year JUNO Award winner, Celeigh Cardinal, as her second performance of the season.
Cardinal, who is of Cree and Metis ancestry, and an Edmonton-based singer-songwriter, is bringing her soul-folk song collection to the Empress Theatre on Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Her second album, Stories from a Downtown Apartment, was named Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2020 JUNO Awards and it also earned Cardinal two Western Canadian Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year and Indigenous Artist of the Year.
Cardinal began performing at age four in her original hometown of Grand Prairie singing in church. She says she always knew she wanted to be a singer.
“Growing up as someone that looks like me, a Native gal, there wasn’t a lot of representation in music for me…we all know Buffy Sainte-Marie but that’s pretty much it,” said Cardinal in a press release.
She said that for her it is really important to have well-known Indigenous artists in Canada for people to look up to.
With two full-length albums completed and a future release in the planning stages, Cardinal is poised to expand her profile, providing Indigenous representation within Alberta’s music industry.
She started performing professionally at 19 and her 2017 debut full-length album Everything and Nothing at All received a nomination for Best Pop Album at the Indigenous Music Awards in 2018, and seven nominations at that year’s Edmonton Music Awards, winning for Female Artist and Indigenous Recording.
Tickets are $37.50 and available at MacleodEmpress.com or by calling 403-553-4404 or toll-free at 1-800-540-9229.
Upcoming Centre Stage concerts include Kobo Town on Apr. 8, and The Ennis Sisters, on Apr. 29.
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