Twenty-one-year-old Natasha Fisher is a singer-songwriter from Thunder Bay who is using her music and her Ojibwe heritage to inspire young people living on First Nations reserves. Thunder Bay is known for its natural beauty and tranquility, but it’s also known for singer-songwriter Natasha Fisher. Now 21, Fisher spent her first 18 years in Thunder Bay and says her Ojibwe heritage has influenced her music.
Her musical journey began six years ago when Fisher started uploading videos to test the waters. The response was overwhelming with more than 200,000 views. After graduation she started doing hip-hop and R&B covers but has taken her music to the next level with the release of her first album entitled Her.
In an interview with CBC, Fisher said she is passionate about is continuing to cultivate a mentorship role she created when she was just 15. She said she has travelled to First Nations reserves to connect with children and youth on subjects like anti-bullying, while providing songwriting workshops and encouraging children to pursue their dreams and develop their talents.
Having the ability to use social media like YouTube provides a medium by which she can help inspire other young Indigenous artists to express their culture in ways unavailable years ago. Fisher told CBC that Ojibway heritage influences her music, it influences her to be a better person and to inspire youth and with so many people hurting right now in northern communities it looks as if her songs can inspire others to follow their dreams while being proud and promoting their culture.
It will be my intention to include her message and the medium by which she is using in my final paper proving the possibility for Indigenous communities to still preserve their culture while embracing technology to promote it.