Because of Radio Starmaker's marketing and touring grants, I've been able to share my music with audiences I would never have had access to. In the two years since releasing my debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, I've toured Canada extensively, as well as the US, Europe, and Australia. Growing up in New Brunswick, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to share the language of my people, Wolastoqey, around the world through music. As there are only about 100 speakers of the language left, this is extremely meaningful.

Weeks before the pandemic, I performed at music festivals across Australia with my trio. A country with an equally complex relationship to indigeneity as our own, the opportunity to exchange cultural knowledge through music is something I cannot put a price on. Starmaker funding allowed me to hire my collaborators Greg Harrison and Blanche Israel to accompany me on percussion and cello while giving us the safety net to break into an entirely new market. Starmaker’s impact on our reach is not just positive for my career development but has secured work and exposure for the musicians around me.

Rather than worrying about how touring expenses will be paid, I'm able to concentrate on the performances at hand. This security is invaluable to my creativity and made possible through Starmaker.

I gratefully acknowledge the support of Starmaker in all aspects of my career trajectory, from marketing support to domestic and international tour funding. Without Starmaker, I would not be on the same path.

- Jeremy Dutcher