Though many of Dutcher’s new listeners did not necessarily understand the lyrics or the language, Dutcher’s first album resonated anyway. It received critical acclaim, winning a Juno Award and the the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. “I wanted to orient that project towards my community and the people that were involved in revitalizing our language,” says Dutcher. “I didn’t put [English] translations in there because I wanted it to be an intercommunity conversation.”
However, for his sophomore album, Motewolonuwok (released earlier this month), Dutcher wanted to continue creating in Wolastoqey while also giving his English-speaking fans something to connect with. “For me, it had to be both [languages],” says Dutcher. “All these people came around [for the first album] that wanted to listen to our stories, so I was like, ‘How can I speak to them?’”
Motewolonuwok may be Dutcher’s first foray into writing music in English, but the singer has continued to spotlight Indigenous stories and culture. His poignant track “Ancestors Too Young” tackles the suicide epidemic amongst Indigenous youth. “That [song] came from going up north to communities in Ontario and seeing the devastation of the suicide epidemic,” says Dutcher. “Sometimes groups of young people get wiped out, like a chain reaction. I wanted to shine a light on people telling these really hard stories, but also seeing them surrounded by community, music, and healing.” Meanwhile, the song “Take My Hand” was inspired by a number that his mentor Paul performed for him. “She sang me a song in English for the first time,” says Dutcher, “and she said, ‘Go sing this for the young people. They’re forgetting how to love each other.’”
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