Wisconsin Public Radio reported J25 to hold a judge seat at the upcoming 64th Grammy Awards. J25 is the first Indigenous woman ever to judge Grammys.
“It definitely gives me a chance to be a part of the change in the future of music, and also it gives me a chance to introduce a new sound in music,” J25 commented. “With me being an Indigenous artist, it gives me a voice for the Native American culture as well.”
Categories J25 will be judging include hip-hop, pop, jazz, rock, reggaeton, and gospel. Artist’s hopes are to build relationships with other artists and push for more diversity and representation in all genres of Music.
“I believe that (Indigenous music) will have a strong influence in music because it’s something different,” J25 said. “A lot of the artists are very unique, very dedicated to what they do. So, it’s only a matter of time before Indigenous Music as a whole will be like a household name.”
J25 mainly writes songs about political and social justice issues. However, she also often references Native American culture in her Music. J25 main inspirations are influencers within Indigenous communities, like Ada Deer of the Menominee Nation and Bill Anoatubby, governor of the Chickasaw Nation.
Grammys Accusations
In the recent past, The Recording Academy had gone through accusations of racial bias. This summer, Academy posted an infographic chart showing that the 2021 Academy Class is 48 percent female, 32 percent Black, 13 percent Latinx, and 4 percent Asian or Pacific Islander.
John Kerry, mixer and engineer, got recently nominated with a Grammy. One accomplishment of his was bringing his parents to the GRAMMYS. He said, “Music wasn’t necessarily something they saw me doing. They envisioned me being a doctor, civil engineer. When I was able to take them to the GRAMMY’s, it was that reassurance that he’ll be good.” You can read more about it here.
Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk