Crystal Shawanda

Crystal Shawanda, born on July 26, 1983, is a talented Ojibwe Potawatomi singer and songwriter hailing from Canada. She has made significant strides in the music industry, particularly in the blues and country genres. Her journey to fame was captured in the six-part series 'Crystal: Living the Dream,' which aired in February 2008, showcasing her rise as an artist.

In 2007, Shawanda signed with RCA Nashville and released her debut single, 'You Can Let Go,' in Canada in January 2008. This track quickly gained popularity, becoming the fastest climbing single on the Canadian Country Singles Chart since Carolyn Dawn Johnson's 'Georgia' in 2000, reaching the Top 10 within just five weeks. The single made its way to the United States on February 25, 2008, where it achieved remarkable success, peaking at number two on the American Mediabase chart.

Shawanda's accolades include being named the CCMA Female Artist of the Year in 2009 and winning the JUNO Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year in 2013. She has the distinction of being the first full-blood Indigenous woman to break into the Top 20 on the American Billboard Country chart, sell over three hundred thousand records, and perform at the Grand Ole Opry. In 2022, she also became the first Indigenous woman to enter the Top 10 of the American Billboard Blues chart.