Ottawa teen singer first on APTN’s Dream Big Series
By Laura E. Young
OTTAWA – Mary Nahwegahbow expresses herself through music and has big dreams for her music career.
Those dreams will be aired – literally – for all to share on Wednesday, September 9 when the story of the member of Whitefish River First Nation near Manitoulin Island and Ottawa resident stars in Dream Big, a new youth documentary series on APTN. The show starts at 4:30 p.m.
“When I’m listening to my idols, Katy Perry, Adele, it speaks to me, as weird as that sounds. Whenever I’m sad, music fixes it. It makes me forget about everything,” Nahwegahbow, 13, says.
Dream Big is a new series on APTN designed to inspire aboriginal youth.
Nahwegahbow’s journey began 2013 when her mother Amy learned of the series and helped Mary, then 11, create a one-minute video. They submitted in November 2013. In February 2014, she was selected. Filming began in March.
She was flown to Winnipeg for the 2014 Indspire Awards and spent the day with singer-songwriter Inez Jasper.
The day with Jasper provided a reality check. “They always say you have to work really hard for what you want. She showed me that you do (work). You have to rehearse and rehearse and get everything perfect. If you have to change something, you have to change,” Nahwegahbow says.
It wasn’t all glamour: “It was hard core.”
A film crew followed her around for two days, a camera in her face all the time, she recalls. “I could never feel like myself for the camera. By day two I got used to it. They followed me everywhere. Anything you did they wanted on tape just in case. It was super fun.”
Nothing in the experienced turned Nahwegahbow away from her dreams. “It makes me want to do what I love to do – more. The experience was unbelievable.”
The road is going to be a long one, however, and Nahwegahbow is currently learning opera and pushing her octave range during music lessons.
Still, she tells people not to give up on themselves in the pursuit of their dreams. “Stick to what you love to do and if you’re really serious about becoming a singer, then believe you can do it and pursue your dream with hard work and practice.” she says.
She writes her own music, penning songs about school, teen-parent dynamics, the drama of life. She lists some of her favourite singers including Jasper, Adele, Taylor Swift, Arianne Grande, Bruno Mars, and Justin Bieber.
She also thinks that her music will have to evolve as she learns to bridge sounds and techniques in her Ojibwe and non-native traditions. She has learned the Strong Woman Song but will have to add to her repertoire and learn all the traditional songs, as well as make her own drum, she and her mother say.
Beyond the pop-star dream, Nahwegahbow is working towards the academic side of music and possibly a degree in education. She is taking courses through the Royal Conservatory program. She is preparing for the audition requirements to enter the vocal program at Canterbury High, Ottawa’s fine arts high school. They receive support for her music lessons through the Dreamcatcher Foundation.
Still, there has been time for other pursuits. She has played soccer for years. This summer she was at the right forward position with Ottawa South United SC. She will enter Grade 8 at Steven MacLean Public School in Ottawa this fall.
“Thank you to my friends for putting up with my singing all day, every day. I’m always singing constantly,” Nahwegahbow adds.