Metis singer/songwriter BERK JODOIN releases new single “One Child” to mark Have A Heart Day
As anticipation builds for Berk Jodoin’s new album Fly Away, slated for release in Spring 2024 via Meriläinen Müsic, he is sharing a new song from it with deep personal significance. “One Child” is the Métis singer/songwriter’s plea to understand the struggles Indigenous children have faced in the past—as Jodoin did—as well as in the present.
The timing of “One Child”’s release on Feb. 14 is significant, as it also marks the annual Have A Heart Day, which brings together caring Canadians to help ensure First Nations children have the opportunity to grow up safely at home, get a good education, be healthy, and be proud of who they are. Portions of proceeds from sales of “One Child” between Feb. 14 and March 14 will be donated to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society.
When asked about the message ingrained within the song Jodoin says,
“‘What makes me different from you?’ is a question I’ve asked myself many times, and I always come up with the same answer: ‘I don’t see much, to tell the truth.’ We are all born with innocence in our hearts; it’s the hate that is taught that poisons us. But overall, I wanted the song to have a positive message that ‘love can bring us back again.’ We all are One Child!”
It’s that unflinching view of society that’s the hallmark of Jodoin’s songwriting, and is on full display throughout Fly Away’s 10 songs, from the tragic portrait of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in “Hastings & Main,” to the scathing, self-explanatory indictment, “White Man’s World.”
It’s no surprise that the Saskatchewan-based Jodoin has experienced much of what he sings about. After a promising hockey career was derailed by life-threatening alcoholism, Jodoin turned his life around in his early thirties with the help of a British Columbia treatment centre. He then took up boxing, but after realizing that injuries were tempting him to return to his bad habits, Jodoin turned to music as his therapy, inspired by heroes like Steve Earle and Waylon Jennings.
Through his friends’ encouragement, Jodoin began recording his songs, and with the support of an SK Arts grant, released his self-titled debut album in 2020. Jodoin followed that up in 2022 with Half-Breed, which earned him a Saskatchewan Music Award as Indigenous Artist of the Year, along with a 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year.
Now partnered with Toronto-based Meriläinen Müsic, Jodoin is sure to expand his audience with Fly Away, a collection that presents cold facts alongside a pathway toward change.
“All my songs are true,” Jodoin says. “I basically just take stories and write them, as I did with songs I wrote for my grandfather, who was a Cree man. The story of him surviving residential schools is a true story that needs to be told. We all have a platform. I use mine to raise awareness of things, which will hopefully inspire people to take action.”