Indigenous musician shares his journey to inspire others

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Don Amero has been a full-time musician for the past 14 years. He lives in Transcona with his wife and three kids.

“There’s no other road that I think would’ve been as much of an enjoyable rollercoaster ride as this one has been,” said Amero.

In the past decade and a half, Amero created a support system within the community surrounding him, which kept him going through all the ups and downs.

He was first inspired by his parents, who were both singers and songwriters. His dad is from the east coast, and his mom is from Manitoba, with a Cree and Metis background.

“Their passion for music really fell into my life,” he said.

At 15, Amero got into musical theatre at school and decided to start playing the guitar and writing songs a year later. A few years ago, he even tried out for Canadian Idol and made it into the top 100 of over 15,000 people auditioning.

“I learned a lot through that whole process and most importantly to believe in myself,” said Amero.

He then started creating and producing his music, not only as a personal fulfillment but as a service to others. Amero said his ambition was not to measure his success by fame or awards but by his happiness and enjoyment while doing what he loves.

“My mission is to write music and share it in hopes that it will encourage and inspire the listener to create things for themselves and the world around them,” he said.

The musician also talked about the importance of being a public figure when it comes to communicating with others about social issues, such as reconciliation. He highlighted how the youth and social media play a crucial role nowadays in raising awareness and educating our society.

“I do think we have a responsibility when we have a platform to start a conversation,” said Amero.

Now, he’s making a podcast in partnership with the Winnipeg Jets called “Through the Fire,” set to come out in 2022. The project’s goal is to initiate conversations with some of the teammates and other relevant personalities in the communities to discuss a variety of issues.

– Juliana Vannucci, U Multicultural