Juno-winning singer William Prince's 'indigeneity' always on his mind

A rising star in the Indigenous music scene, William Prince says his cultural roots are never far from his thoughts.

The outside world likes to classify him as an Indigenous singer, to be respectful, Prince says, but the Winnipeg-based Juno-award winner with the smooth voicefindsthe descriptionlimiting in a way.

He isproud of his heritage, but his identity encapsulates so much more.

"Those things can come to light after, if people are interested into who I am," he said.

Prince, an Anishinabe from Peguis First Nation, won't need an introduction at Indigenous Day Live an all-day event Saturday at The Forks in Winnipeg featuring live entertainment, a powwow and a round dance.

"I've been a part of it over the last few years and now to be a part of it as a feature performer again is huge, it's awesome," he said.

The show comes two days afterNational Indigenous Peoples Day, an annual occasion which gives the singer-songwriter pause, like Saturday's show.

"I'm being asked or questioned about myindigeneitythroughout my music and travelling, so it's always on my mind," he said, "butit's nice that there's a time to reflect on the people of all these different nations."

He didn't grow up attunedwith his culture. It's something he's discoveredover time, he told CBC Manitoba's Information Radio onThursday, while wearing a medicine pouch filled withsweetgrass, sage, lavender and tobacco.

I'mbeing asked or questioned about myindigeneitythroughout my music and travelling, so it's always on my mind.- William Prince

"As I went through school, that's when I kind of figured it out," he said. "Yeah, I'm an Indigenous person."

Prince, who moved toPeguisFirst Nation when he was five,is a direct descendantof ChiefPeguis, who signed the treaty with Lord Selkirk, granting land along the Red River to the Selkirk settlers.

He doesn't like to boast about the ancestor who set hiscommunity in motion.

"It's a major thing that I'm almost shy at times to put forward,in hopes of kind of honouring what he did to lead our peopleand put the reserve where it is now," he said.

"Wheneversomebody brings it up, I kind of politely nod to it being part of this family history."

Meanwhile, Prince is making a name for himself,evokingthe likes of Leonard Cohen and Willie Nelson throughhis sound.He's won Aboriginal Artist of the Yearat the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2016and Contemporary Roots Album of the Yearat the 2017Junos.

He's working on a follow-upto his debut 2015 album, Earthly Days. He was in Nashvillelast month, collaborating withGrammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, who has produced for major country acts like Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.

Though he's working with musical royalty, he hasn't lost track of his roots.He's proud of asingle he wrotein part with thePeguisgraduating class, based on the seven sacred teachings:love, courage, humility, truth, respect, courage and honesty.

Prince wants his two-year-old son, Wyatt, to grow up in a world wherehe speaks of hisheritage without reservation.

Teaching his son

"The negative stigmas that can come around being a First Nations people, I hope those are far dissipated by the time we get to that point and that he's proud of who he is," Prince said.

"I just hope there's more awareness to things so it's not just your [Indigenous] family, telling you about your history," he said.

Prince is trying to dohis part.

"He's going to know wherePeguisis, and he's had a couplesleepoversand trips out there already," Prince said. "He fits right into the country."