Shy-Anne Hovorka was surprised to win Aboriginal female entertainer of the Year at the 2010 Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards.
“Unreal, literally unreal,” said the Aboriginal Thunder Bay-based singer/songwriter during a Nov. 8 interview. “I was just happy to be up in the top three but when they called my name, when I stood up, my legs went weak and I almost fell down out of shock.”
Hovorka didn’t have a speech prepared because she thought one of the two other nominees, Inez or Andrea Menard, would win the award during the Nov. 5 awards ceremony in Winnipeg.
“I just went up and spoke from the heart and accepted the award graciously,” Hovorka said.
“It’s a pretty cool feeling.”
Hovorka, who also won best producer/engineer, has been receiving plenty of congratulations about her awards and feedback about the comments she made about children who are in care. A former foster child who was placed into care on and off from the ages of three and six, she was adopted by the Hovorka family when she was six years old.
“I spoke a lot about kids who were in care, and being told that you were nothing and to be able to fulfill your dreams and have faith in yourself,” Hovorka said. “I think that hit a lot of people. There’s been a lot of talk about the speech itself.”
Hovorka feels the message behind her music is what is propelling her forward.
“It feels amazing and I’m super happy with the way things are and anxious to move forward and see what the next year brings,” Hovorka said.
Hovorka is currently planning to travel to Brazil next April, where she will lead a group of Aboriginal singers at the 2011 Earth Day celebrations in Rio de Janiero and to do a winter road tour to remote fly-in communities across northern Ontario this winter.
“There are a few communities in Alberta that want to book us,” Hovorka said. “People that are organizing National Aboriginal Day in Ottawa contacted me to see if I would be interested in playing there.”
Hovorka has earned Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees at Lakehead University and was featured as a soloist for the Thunder Bay Symphony.
She also directs a community choir and teaches music and Ojibwe in her home community of Red Lake while not on tour.
The Thunder Mountain Singers, also from Thunder Bay, won the best powwow CD, traditional for their album One Voice One Nation.
“We were really amazed and shocked,” said David Wilkinson-Simard, a member of the Thunder Mountain Singers. “We were really surprised that we won.”
Wilkonson-Simard said the reaction from fans and friends has been great.
“We were just swamped on Facebook,” Wilkinson-Simard said. “It’s been non-stop with congratulations from people right across the world, in fact. It’s not just people in Ontario and Canada, it’s been into different countries.”
Wilkinson-Simard said the group plans to share the award with people throughout the community.
“We want to make sure people see it,” Wilkinson-Simard said.
The Thunder Mountain Singers also plan to attend the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards Nov. 26 in Toronto.
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