Mamarudegyal MTHC has been announced as this years recipient of the 2024 TD Indigenous Songwriter of the Year award. Diana Hellson, is an Afro-Indigenous musician, born and raised in Calgary, and is a registered band member of Siksika Nation (Treaty 7), where she grew up.
The annual award which is presented and supported by SOCAN Foundation recognizes and celebrates the artistic merit demonstrated by Indigenous songwriters in any musical genre. Hellson will receive a cash prize of $10,000, in addition to career development opportunities, and a spot in SOCAN Foundation and Amazon Music’s Indigenous Song Camp in Toronto.
“My journey as a Song Keeper has led me to incredible places across Turtle Island, and sacred places within myself,” says Hellson. “It’s truly a privilege to have the ability to express myself, and all of life’s mayhem and beauty, in the form of song; it’s an especially high privilege to achieve a milestone like this in my career. I’m so grateful to my team, my supporters, my loved ones, Napi, and Creator. Sookapi.”
Honourable mention prizes of $1,000 are also being made to Falynn Baptiste (nêhiyaw/Cree, Red Pheasant Cree Nation), Sebastian Gaskin (Cree, Tataskweyak Cree Nation), Juurini (Inuk), Phyllis Sinclair (Cree, York Factory First Nation), and Joel Wood (Cree). The winners may use the funds to support their career development in various areas, including recording new music, videography, and business management.
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