EXCLUSIVE | Native Max
Tonight at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, California, Grammy-nominated artist Teddy Swims brought more than his powerhouse vocals to the stage. He brought Indigenous artistry with him.
In an exclusive story first reported by Native Max, Swims performed wearing two handcrafted sterling silver pieces by Tlingit jeweler Jennifer Younger: her iconic Devil Fish Wrap Ring and her Wild Rose Bolo. Both pieces are entirely handmade and one-of-a-kind, as Younger never works from patterns, creating each piece freehand.
Younger’s team confirmed to Native Max that Teddy Swims’ team reached out directly to the designer requesting pieces for the performance. Younger, honored by the opportunity, shipped the pieces to his team ahead of tonight’s festival set.
The news sent the Sitka-based designer over the moon. “I’m so excited and ecstatic,” Younger shared, learning that Swims had worn her work on one of country music’s biggest stages.
For Younger, this moment is the latest in a string of high-profile milestones for her work. Her jewelry has been featured in numerous shows and exhibitions, and her pieces famously appeared on the cover of Vogue when worn by Oscar-winning actress Lily Gladstone, bringing her artistry to a global audience.
Younger is Tlingit of the Eagle Kaagwaantaan clan and was raised in Yakutat, a small Southeast Alaska community where she was surrounded by nature and traditional ways of life. She draws from traditional Tlingit formline designs, historic artifacts, spruce root basket weaving patterns, and the contrast and texture of metals. Her guiding philosophy, “Looking back takes me forward,” speaks to how deeply rooted her creative process is in cultural heritage.
Each piece Younger creates is assembled entirely by hand. Because she works freehand and never repeats a pattern, every creation is a true original.
Seeing her sterling silver craftsmanship on Teddy Swims tonight at Stagecoach is a powerful reminder that Indigenous artistry belongs everywhere, including center stage.
This is an exclusive story first reported by Native Max.
