Mi’kmaw singer-songwriter DeeDee Austin is the featured artist for this year’s Ancestors Voices: Music and Learning for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with her song “Buried Truth” serving as the centrepiece of free curriculum resources for Kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms across Canada.
Austin, now 20, wrote “Buried Truth” when she was 15 after learning that her late great-grandmother had survived the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in Nova Scotia.
The song will anchor the 2026 edition of Ancestors Voices, an initiative of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada that connects contemporary Indigenous music with learning about truth, reconciliation, identity and community.
For the first time, Austin will also bring the program directly into at least one Canadian school this fall, giving students an opportunity to meet the artist and hear the story behind the song.
“Buried Truth began with something deeply personal: discovering what my late great grandmother endured at the Shubenacadie residential school,” Austin said.
“I wrote the song to honour her story, but also to acknowledge the experiences of every child, family and community harmed by the residential school system.”
Since its launch in 2024, Ancestors Voices has recorded more than 150,000 student registrations across Canada.
The annual program is designed to honour children who never returned home, survivors and all those whose lives have been affected by residential schools. Developed with Indigenous artists and educators, each edition features an Indigenous songwriter and song alongside artist guides, interviews, video content, listening activities and curriculum-linked learning prompts.
“DeeDee represents exactly what Ancestors Voices was created to do: place an Indigenous artist’s voice and lived family history at the centre of learning,” said Stacey Sinclair, executive director of the Coalition for Music Education.
“Buried Truth gives students an emotional point of entry into history that can otherwise feel distant or abstract.”
A sister of the Abegweit First Nation in Prince Edward Island, Austin has emerged as a young performer on the Atlantic Canadian music scene.
Her honours include receiving Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer on Canada’s Got Talent, CBC Searchlight’s Outstanding Indigenous Artist recognition and Music Nova Scotia’s Indigenous Artist of the Year honours, along with multiple East Coast Music Award nominations.
Austin blends contemporary pop with Indigenous musical traditions, drawing on themes of resilience, hope and purpose in her songwriting.
Ancestors Voices launched in 2024 with Julian Taylor and his song “S.E.E.D.S.” The 2025 edition featured Adrian Sutherland and his all-Cree song “Kiyash.”
Previous editions remain available to educators, creating a growing national collection of Indigenous music and learning resources.
Ancestors Voices is supported by the Mariposa Folk Festival.
SWOMP caught up with Austin for an interview at Sommo Festival 2026 in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island on September 11, 2026. Listen, below:
Here are some photos from her performance:
Follow her at https://deedeeaustin.com/.