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Indigenous music is finally getting a front-row seat.
The Indigenous Setlist, a new podcast and video series from Indigenous House and award-winning post-production studio Little Bear Audio, premieres June 22 with a lineup that spans genres, nations, and generations. From Juno Award winners to artists climbing the charts and headlining major festivals, the series is a weekly discovery engine for anyone ready to hear what is happening in contemporary Indigenous music right now.
“These artists are scoring some of the most popular series streaming now, signing to major record labels, climbing the charts, and headlining some of the biggest music festivals around the country,” says Crystal Echo Hawk (Pawnee), founder of Indigenous House. “They are pushing boundaries, blending their own personal stories and lived experiences with new and innovative sounds. The story is not that Indigenous music is having a moment, it is that the moment is everywhere.”
The series is co-led by Echo Hawk and Jade Begay (Tesuque Pueblo/Diné), with audio production from Ian Sorrentino of Little Bear Audio. Additional producers include Helen Gover (Diné, Pawnee, and Choctaw) and Quiet Star Collective, a Native and woman-owned music industry company based in Denver.
The inaugural season opens with The Halluci Nation, the EDM group representing the Six Nations of the Grand River (Mohawk) and Cayuga Nations and the first independent Indigenous artists from North America to cross 100 million streams on Spotify. From there, the series moves through an extraordinary range of sounds and nations: Maoli bringing country reggae from the Native Hawaiian community; THRONE representing the Mvskogee Nation (Creek) in hip-hop and R&B; Aysanabee delivering alt-rock and soul from Sandy Lake First Nation; Shawnee Kish blending alt-rock, country, and soul from Six Nations of the Grand River; Fawn Wood representing traditional music from the Saddle Lake Cree and Coast Salish; and Raye Zaragoza performing Americana folk and pop for the Pima/Oʼodham Nation, among others.
“From folk to hip-hop, from well-known acts to emerging talent, the stories and sounds of these artists are vibrant and boundary-pushing,” says Sorrentino. “These artists are proof that contemporary Indigenous music belongs in every playlist, on every soundtrack, and on every stage.”
The Indigenous Setlist will be released weekly beginning Monday, June 22, on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Follow @TheIndigenousSetlist on Instagram and @IndigenousHouse across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
