Kelly Derrickson is an indigenous

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

singer-songwriter from the

Westbank First Nation The Westbank First Nation is a self-governing First Nations band in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada, and is one of eight bands that comprise the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Westbank First Nation (WFN) is governed by one chief (Chri ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. She is the daughter of Grand Chief

Ronald Derrickson Ronald M. Derrickson is an Indigenous leader from the Interior of British Columbia, Canada who was six times elected chief of the Westbank Indian Band and was made a Grand Chief by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs in 2012. He is also one of the most ...

and Peggy Derrickson.

Education

Derrickson studied music and earned her degree at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

and went on to develop a musical style called Country Tribal Rock.

Career

Her breakout hit was the 2013 recording of "Idle No More", where she "pays tribute to the struggles of aboriginal people in Canada. The anthem ties together issues from high suicide rates amongst First Nations to the exploitation of Canada's natural resources and environment."David Wylie
"Kelly Derrickson’s music with a message"
''

Victoria News Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychel ...

'', November 18, 2019. Derrickson has won awards as both performer and songwriter. She won Best New Artist at the 2015

Indigenous Music Awards The Indigenous Music Awards, formerly called the Aboriginal Peoples' Choice Music Awards, is an annual Canadian music award, given out to Indigenous people who are in the music industry. The APCMA receives financial support of the Department of ...

,"Drezus big winner at Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

, September 11, 2015. and was named Best Female Artist by the

Native American Music Awards The Native American Music Awards (also known as the NAMAs or "Nammys") are an awards program presented annually by Elbel Productions, Inc., The Native American Music Awards Inc., and The Native American Music Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profi ...

for two consecutive years, in 2017 and 2018.

Discography

*''Amazing Grace'' (2014) *''Warriors of Love'' (2014) *''Christmas Without You'' (2016) *''I Am'' (2017) *''We Are Love'' (2019)

References

21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian women singers 21st-century First Nations people 21st-century indigenous women of the Americas Canadian women singer-songwriters Musicians from British Columbia Berklee College of Music alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Syilx people First Nations women singers {{Canada-singer-songwriter-stub