47. D'orjay The Singing Shaman: The Case of the Musical Pilgrimage

D'orjay The Singing Shaman colours outside the country music lines with anthemic, bold blues, honky-tonk and rock-flavoured roots with a distinct queer, Black twist. Originally from rural Alberta, she was a 2021 nominee for Country Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards, and has been featured in Rolling Stone (!!!)

We kick things off with the story of D'orjay's incredible path to music, which took her from small-town Alberta to meeting her Buddhist guru in Vancouver, a pilgrimage to Tibet, energy healing in Thailand, and shaman school in Chile. Krista and D'orjay bond over some tall-girl problems, and compare notes on their similar late-bloomer experiences beginning professional country music careers in their thirties. Tara tells about her favourite word - NO - and we discuss the importance of advocating for yourself and your art while Brandi explains the parallels she sees between country music and classical music. Finally, we dig in to the value and power of representation in country music, with big shoutouts to the University of Ottawa's Dr. Jada Watson (we recommend you check out all her research and writing on country music) and DeFord Bailey (a Black man who is the first performer EVER to have his music recorded in Nashville). We literally COULD NOT stop talking - you're gonna want to have a listen, and then you're gonna want to form a D'orjay The Singing Shaman fan club.

D'orjay The Singing Shaman's official website

Dr. Jada Watson's report on redlining in country music 

The Road Case Official Website

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