Acclaimed Indigenous singer-songwriter Kym Gouchie has been nominated for a 2025 Juno Award in the Children’s Album of the Year category for her latest album, Shun Beh Nats’ujeh/We Are Healing Through Songs.
Thrilled at the prospect, and knowing she would attend the main event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver — the televised awards ceremony on Sunday, March 30 — as well as the Juno Junior presented by CBC Kids on Saturday, March 29, at the Vancouver Art Gallery, where her category and about 40 others will be awarded, Gouchie quickly realized she needed to represent not only through her music but also through her attire.
Gouchie posted a call on social media, asking artists to reach out to help with her wardrobe, specifically seeking pieces that would hold meaning and space while honouring her Indigenous heritage.
“I got a flurry of messages from people,” Gouchie said. “But I just wasn’t feeling it. I wanted the person to be from Prince George. I wanted to be measured, try it on, and be present. Then my mind went to Tracy.”
Tracey Peters, someone Gouchie has known for years through the community, is a full-time Indigenous education worker at Nusdeh Yoh Elementary School, as well as a jingle dress dancer, singer, beader, and seamstress. Peters is Interior Salish — Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation in St’at’imc Territory — and moved to Prince George with her family about 35 years ago.
“When Kym texted me,” Peters said, “and she asked me how I would feel about making her gown for the Junos, I was like, ‘What!? Oh my God! Yes! Wahoooo!’ It was awesome!”
And that’s when the hard work began.
For the past 20 years, Gouchie has held on to a metre-long stretch of red satin, a remnant from a photoshoot that never happened. Gouchie said she didn’t know exactly why she had kept it all these years.
“And now here we are,” Gouchie smiled.
Digging that satin out of storage was the very first step in gathering the materials needed. And why make just one gown when ribbon skirts could be showcased at every event Gouchie would attend besides the live-streamed awards ceremony and the televised show, such as the Juno Songwriters’ Circle, the JUNO Honouring Ceremony, the Juno orange carpet fan zone, and the after-party?
Peters was up for the challenge.
For the gown and skirt-making collaboration, Gouchie and Peters met often, making decisions quickly as the Junos were only weeks away.
Luckily, spring break took place just before Gouchie headed to Vancouver for the awards, allowing Peters to focus solely on the artistry of creating the outfits.
“It’s been truly amazing and such an honour to make the gown and other outfits for Kym,” Peters said. “We always fight for our Indigenous people, but we don’t always get recognized in a good way, even if people understand what the generations before us have gone through. For us to be here, breaking the cycle and being recognized in a good way — it’s just awesome.”
Gouchie said that at times, her Juno nomination doesn’t feel real.
“This album is really special because I feel this one is not about me,” Gouchie said. “It’s really truly about everyone who has gone before me and those who are still yet to be because it’s so connected to language, culture, and history. I would never profess to be a language speaker because it’s something I did not grow up speaking. It was only as an adult that I learned the importance of language preservation.”
Gouchie, a proud member of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation with Secwépemc and Cree roots, has long been known for her powerful storytelling and soulful voice. She understands the risk of losing the Lheidli (Dakelh) language.
“I have the opportunity to preserve language in my music, in my art, and that’s what I’m doing,” Gouchie said.
“The gown and the other outfits I will be wearing are to honour and hold space for Indigenous culture, history, language, and identity. Having my gown made by an Indigenous person helps to keep that flow. To be able to use the colours I chose and not have to go find a dress inspired by someone else was important. I wanted it to reflect who I am and who Tracy is, so this is where we landed.”
Peters brought a variety of materials with her for meetings with Gouchie, including black on black on black in various textures and finishes, because that’s a Gouchie favourite.
There were printed patterns on satin, embroidered panels, a little pleather, sparkly ribbon, and so much colour that exploded onto the scene. Peters knew uniqueness had to be at the forefront, so she offered to incorporate the high-quality ribbon into every aspect of all the pieces of artwork Gouchie would wear.
For Peters, every step of the process was its own day-long event, including pressing the material to be used, cutting it to pattern specifications, serging it, pinning pieces together, and finally sewing the corset of the gown as the earliest foundation piece for the all-important fitting process.
The question had to be asked: How important is it to win the Juno?
“No matter what, I will be celebrating,” Gouchie said. “It will be the first line of my bio forever — whether it’s ‘Juno Award-winning artist Kym Gouchie’ or ‘Juno-nominated artist Kym Gouchie’ — it will be forever.”
