Berk Jodoin

Saskatchewan-based, Métis singer/songwriter Berk Jodoin’s new album, Fly Away gives us a glimpse into the challenges he has overcome over the course of his life, and further unflinching observations of others in similar circumstances.

The album’s 10 songs are inspired by the sounds of classic country and blues. From the tragic portrait of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in “Hastings & Main,” to the scathing, self-explanatory indictment, “White Man’s World (ft. Joey Stylez)” it’s no surprise that 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 BC 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.

Berk released his self-titled debut album in 2020 and 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.