D'orjay featured centre front in photo. 

Edmoton’s D’orjay is an award-winning musician about to release their second studio album. Since launching their professional music career in 2018, they’ve played shows across Alberta, including the Canmore Folk Festival and the Road to the Junos concert series in 2023.

Like many artists, D’orjay has extended their creativity to their sources of income. They describe their career as “full-time working class mystic.” On top of their music, they earn money from work as a playwright, composer, mesa-carrying shaman, and postal carrier.

ATB sat down with D’orjay shortly before they took the stage at Block Heater to talk financial literacy, how artists can access grants, and the importance of matching LEDs in your custom Western suit.

What’s your biggest expense as an artist?

Recording music is exceptionally expensive, in particular for me. I'm very passionate about paying everyone at the very least a living wage, if not more.

You’re thinking about studio time, a producer and engineer, I have a seven-piece band. There's mixing, there's mastering, the PR that you have, hiring a marketing person, merchandise. It adds up to tens of thousands of dollars.

To do all that right, you’re looking at $30,000, minimum.

What do you love to splurge on for your performances?

My biggest thing is making sure my band is paid well. I like them to feel taken care of.

That feels like a luxury for me, because it translates on the stage for me. They are the people that make me feel safe to expose and share my soul and my stories and my songs.

And then also I'm a pretty minimal person.

But I did splurge for my 40th birthday and for myself as a performer.

Through a few different things, through a part of a grant, me saving up, asking my friends to contribute to my 40th birthday fund, I got a custom suit made—a custom Western wear suit for my stage performances. 

It's gorgeous. It has lights embroidered into it that match the lights I wear in my afro.

This is the most expensive piece of clothing or outfit I've ever purchased in my entire life. But it makes me feel really, really cool when I'm on stage.

And I just got it actually last year, and I can't wait to show it off even more.

Why is grant funding important for artists? How can artists access grants?

For a lot of artists, those are the biggest barriers that they face is a lack of access to resources.

I personally have had a lot of support from the Edmonton Arts Council, who has supported my earlier projects, some professional development, help with marketing and merchandising my albums.

Also I was a recipient of the Artist Trust Fund Award that they do here every year. I also have been a recipient of the Edmonton Music Prize as well for my first album.

Then there’s also a ton of federal grants, Canada Council for the Arts, FACTOR.

The thing I love about all of these funding bodies is that all of them offer information and education on how to utilize their resources, how to apply for grants. That's a skillset that I'm really lucky that I've been able to develop in all these other areas of my working life. I’m a pretty good grant writer.

It’s really helpful to have that understanding of how to convey the importance of your art and your project. I really encourage other artists to develop that skill. If you can highlight the uniqueness of what you're doing, you have a really great chance of securing some support that way.

How is money management different for artists?

In my experience and, and among my peers, a lot of times financial literacy isn't really at the forefront. My cousin is an accountant, and she loves numbers. She's like, “Yeah, let's figure out the spreadsheet and the budget!”, and I'm like, “Oh, not another spreadsheet.”

Accessibility is a huge thing that needs to be highlighted when it comes to artists and finances is teaching them that it doesn't have to be scary—that from any starting point, even if you're in debt, there's pathways to get you out of that or to get you closer to your goals.

But if you can get beyond that and, and ask for help and find those resources on the other side of that is what you want, right? To be able to get your art out into the world.

What does financial literacy mean to you?

It has a lot to do with resiliency. My relationship to money has really changed so much over the years.

Financial literacy for me is empowerment. It's getting to a stage where if you can understand how this system works and not feel scared of it, then maybe you also have the power to change it or reshape it in a way that is more accessible for other people.

What’s the best way for communities and fans to support local artists?

I believe the best way that folks can support artists year round is following whatever channels of communication they've put out there whether that social media or their website or an email list or a Patreon.

I also think merchandise, any physical thing they are producing, t-shirts, CDs, vinyl, anything like that—most of that money is going to them.

Also, when you're thinking about how you're consuming an artist's music, websites or distribution systems on the internet that allow you to purchase the album outright, even as a digital copy, more of that money is going to go back in the pocket of the artist versus streaming.

Follow D’orjay on Instagram or check out their website for the latest news on their shows and new music.