If I had not been given that grant, I would not have a CD that fell into the hands of John Kim Bell, who worked at the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, who put me on his awards show. It would not have been somehow slipped to the Premier of Saskatchewan, who got me in front of the Queen and Prince Charles and more royalty than you could imagine. That particular CD made me become the Métis pin-up girl of Saskatchewan, you know, and our government, the government, when they needed to look good, they called Andrea. And because of that CD, they could find me.
I am not represented by a label. I am not distributed by a label. I am self-generated and I'm still struggling on my own, and because of something physical.... That's changing, but back in 2000 that CD was essential and it still is. The music itself is essential. If the music wasn't viable, they wouldn't have called. But it was absolutely essential in getting me to the places that put me in the public eye, because radio sure didn't do it.