Tara Barnes

What an unbelievable experience!

Now that we’re done crashing out…I wanted to take a second to express my extreme gratitude to @shawnmendes (and his team) for including @tiamiscihk in his latest show in Vancouver.

He reached out to Tia personally and approached this with intention: encouraging Tia write her own verse / vocable.

I love what she came up with for the song “Youth” (which talks about the state of the world and how that leaves us feeling hopeless to make change)…

This is exactly the kind of allyship we need for rising Indigenous voices…not just inclusion, but the passing of the mic and trust that youth will fill that space with powerful stories, truth and beauty.

To our friends, family and the very small team around Tia - thank you for all for showing up and making our girl feel perfect and like she belonged on that stage. The energy backstage was electric and only matched by the 19,000 people that Tia walked out to. The performance was incredibly emotional and so impactful.

Honestly, this was one of the best weekends and days of my life. I’m so proud of you Tia. Thanks for trusting me to support your dreams. I hope it felt as perfect as it was to witness.

Singers: @tiamiscihk X @shawnmendes
MGMT: @thunderbarnes X @thunderhaus.ca
Stylist: @jasonpillay
Hair: @braidingknowledge
Fam: @lavinahoule @fawnwood @ravenwood456 @cynthiajim2 @leenahrobinson @_cebc16_ @djkookum @yzerw @aliciacardinal @blazefavel_cs02 @indigenous.tv @m.s.persia

Special thanks to @ninagualinga and @helenagualinga for connecting these two ✨

Tia’s lyrics:

Where do I start
How do I say it
my voice is so tired
And I cannot fake it

Our mothers daughters sisters
Going missing everyday
Hard to feel hopeful
When hope feels so far away

#mmiw2s #tiawood #shawnmendes #indigenousmusic #vancouver