By Thomas Smith

For those that kept up with the Juno Awards this year, you had the opportunity for Celeigh Cardinal to grace your ears while she sang “Light of the Moon” during the In Memoriam segment of the Juno gala event, a tribute to Canadians in the music industry who have passed away in the past year.

The song was written in tribute to musicals idols and loved ones that have passed on. It was the perfect fit for the segment, says Cardinal. .

With her music being showcased in both film and t.v., singing with The Tragically Hip, and touring across the world, this Juno-winning artist is not a concert you can miss.

This year, Cardinal was nominated for two Junos, Adult Contemporary Album of the Year for Boundless Possibilities and Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year.

Stressing out during the event, Cardinal called her sister who said “Dude, this has been our dream since we were ten years old.”

“I just always believed that it was my path, I believed it was my calling. “It was the space that I was going to have success and I would achieve the things that I wanted to.”

Bouncing between award shows, I had the chance to interview her before she headed to Canadian Folk Music Awards held in Ottawa.

Cardinal had a not-so-uncommon Indigenous experience while growing up outside of any Indigenous culture, with her father being raised in foster care.

“He grew up in white, Christian homes. That’s who he ended up marrying,” said Cardinal. “They ended up raising me in a white Christian home and so I didn’t develop a relationship to culture until I was older and sought it out on my own. Being indigenous in Northern Alberta is deeply woven into my life experiences and thus reflected in my music.”

“It isn’t really the best things, because Northern Alberta isn’t super nice to Indigenous women,” said Cardinal. “Most of Canada isn’t. It’s woven into my self esteem, into my self-worth, into my identity.”

Cardinal’s debut album, Everything and Nothing at All (2017) launched her professional career to new heights. With the accompaniment of blues rift and country twang, Cardinal’s voice is both energetic and fun. Through both rawness and humour, just as the title suggests, the album offers an eclectic and fun mix of both genre and storytelling.

Her second album, Stories from a Downtown Apartment (2019) increases the rawness that is apparent in her inaugural album. Written in her downtown Edmonton apartment, Cardinal reflects on true stories from her life. Cardinal won a Juno award for the album in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The apartment building in which the album was written was home to an artist community, with Cardinal’s favourite memory being the conversations with other creatives in the building’s coffee shop and her ability to grow plants with her southern facing windows.

“I won the award when I was sitting on the couch with my mother, my son, and my friends,” said Cardinal. “It was lovely, it was so different. It felt right.”

“It also felt like a massive privilege,” said Cardinal. “My friendships with the Indigenous musicians across Canada have grown so much. It was so beautiful to be honoured along with friends.”

Cardinal’s latest album, Boundless Possibilities (2024) brings an overall more soulful sound than her previous albums while guiding the listener alongside a journey. From pop tracks to soundscapes fit for an ethereal stargazer, Boundless Possibilities is a perfect addition to Cardinal’s repertoire that remains authentic to the artist’s signature sound.

Throughout Cardinal’s career, she has noticed that there are songs that resonate with her more than others, depending on where she is in life and how she is feeling.

“My music is directly affected by the varied genres of influence that I have. I want to do everything,” said Cardinal. “That is very hard to turn into one thing. The common thread throughout it is a soulful vocal through soulful storytelling.”

“I often call them sad girl songs,” says Cardinal with a laugh.

“There is one song in particular, “There Are Some Things We WIll Never Do” from my album Stories From a Downtown Apartment and it is a song I wrote thinking that it was a love song but by the end I was like oh, this is a breakup song.”

“It weaves in and out of my setlist once in a while.”

For a really long time, Cardinal says that there has been an internal need to act like an “adult”. Recently, through small things like eating hotdogs and putting ketchup on her scrambled eggs (which she has always loved), she says that she has returned to letting herself be silly.

Cardinal notes that the worst hotdog she has eaten was in Sweden, topped with shrimp salad. On the other hand, the best hotdog she has had is from a street vendor in Copenhagen. Cardinal says that she has thrown around the idea to even start her own hotdog reviews.

Cardinal says that the reconnection to her younger self shines best through her performances on the stage. Taking herself too seriously can lead to tightness, especially in the throat and voice, says Cardinal. Both her vocal coach and therapist both encouraged her to allow herself to be playful on stage and be free.

“That has impacted my ability to sing better,” said Cardinal “So much better, so much more free and it’s helped my body loosen up.”

When Sebastian Gaskin won the Juno this year for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year, she cried.

“It feels really special to be validated and to be a part of that community and to be honoured as part of that community.”

An advocate for fledgling artists, Cardinal has been outspoken about artists managing themselves and learning the ropes of the music industry before relying on others and hiring external staff.

“I hear a lot of artists when they are emerging saying I need to find a manager, I need to find a producer, I need to find a booking agent,” said Cardinal. “I think it’s really important to do all of that stuff initially because how do you know what you need, how do you know what it costs, how do you know what you should be paying, how do you avoid getting exploited, how do you avoid being used, it’s about having the knowledge and knowing what it takes.”

Knowledge of the industry, especially booking, allows musicians to become better in business in general, says Cardinal.

Cardinal says that she has not had many opportunities to play in Ontario throughout her career and is very excited to play the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion on April 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the event can be purchased through the Haliburton County Folk Society’s website. Cardinal will have a selection of merchandise for sale at the concert including t-shirts, toques, vinyls, and CDs.

Cardinal will also be playing at the National Arts Centre and have additional dates throughout Ontario this year.

Cardinal’s music is available to stream on all platforms and has merchandise available for sale on her website celeighcardinal.com.