Twin Flames takes home award

It was a nerve-wracking evening for Twin Flames at the Capital Music Awards – they were nominated in the Group of the Year category, and given that it’s such a big award, it was to be announced at the very end of a stacked awards ceremony.

Luckily, when the moment came, it was one of celebration: Twin Flames secured the trophy.

“We weren’t expecting it, we’re never expecting anything, just to be nominated is such an honour,” said Chelsey June, who is one half of the group with her partner, Jaaji.

She used her speech at the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall to recognize their family.

“We have a beautiful family with six children, and there’s sacrifices that have come along with that throughout the years of having to tour and be away from time to time,” June said. “The dream has been to show our kids that no matter what they can think of in their minds or spirits for their futures, they can attain it too. That’s what gives us the fuel to keep doing what we do.”

Twin Flames often incorporates Inuktitut into their music, blending it with French and English. Jaaji is Mohawk-Inuk – his biological father is from Kahnawake, where he spent the summers, and he grew up in Quagtag, Nunavik, with his maternal grandparents.

This year has been particularly big for the group as they’ve crossed over into the American market.

“I think it’s been a huge stepping stone for us in continuing this dream. This year it’s going to be 10 years that we’ve been full-time musicians. We’ve toured in California and had a residency in Las Vegas, so there’s been lots of really awesome moments this past year,” June said.

The group released their album Hugging the Cactus last year, working with Juno and Grammy award-winning producer John Bailey, and a range of talented musicians.

“It’s getting a lot of airplay, internationally, in Canada, in the US, even a lot overseas, so I guess they took all of that stuff into consideration,” June said.

The duo also work to bring music into school settings with workshops where they bring Inuktitut into classrooms across Turtle Island.

They hope that young Indigenous artists can be inspired by their achievements, and Jaaji stressed that it’s important that youth realize they deserve more than being boxed into just “Indigenous” categories come awards season.

“Don’t stay in your lane, don’t accept any of that stuff. Music is music, and when I pick up my guitar, my guitar doesn’t know the difference,” he said.

Equally, the win is a reminder of why it’s time that Indigenous artists take up the space they deserve in the music world.

“I have a lot of pride in my heritage and music has always been a part of our culture even way before inception, so for us when we go up there, we can only represent our household, and we always have to remember that,” Jaaji said. “You can’t represent anyone else except how you were raised and what your own beliefs are, so never give up.”

The couple say they’ve put the award pride of place above their fireplace.

“Winning awards shouldn’t matter a whole lot, but when you’re working really hard and putting everything into your art, it’s nice to get recognition,” June said. “It’s a sign to keep going forward and breaking down those barriers, and that’s what we’re hoping to do for the artists coming up behind us.”

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