Navajo singer heading to Grammys

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) – Radmilla Cody likely will be the only person walking down the red carpet in moccasins at the Grammys next weekend.

Cody, a traditional Navajo songstress, will be walking among some of the world's most revered music performers. And she will be dressed in full-on traditional Navajo attire, including the moccasins made by her grandmother.

“I will be sportin' my turquoise,” Cody said.

Cody received a nomination in December for her album “Shi Keyah: Songs for the People” in the category of “Best Regional Roots.”

“I thought of my grandmother who died a month before, exactly,” Cody said of hearing the news. “I thought, Grandma, what are you doing up there?”

She will be attending the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10.

Cody's journey to the Grammys was not easy, however.

She first began singing when she lived with her grandma in Lupe, Ariz., which is part of the Navajo Nation.

She had no running water and no electricity, and she spent much of her time with the animals.

“The sheep and the goats were my first audience,” said Cody, who spent much of her time herding.

Cody learned to speak the Navajo language, Dine, fluently and learned many of the songs and practices of the culture from her grandmother, who had taken Cody in as a child when her parents could not care for her.

“She taught me everything I know,” Cody said. “She taught me to appreciate the simplicity of life.”

Her life has not always been simple, however.

Cody, with a Navajo mother and African American father, was Miss Navajo Nation from 1997 to 1998. But she almost lost the crown after serving a year and a half in prison for not reporting her boyfriend's drug dealing.

She rebounded, though, and shared that she had been abused in the relationship. Cody now advocates for victims of domestic violence.

And, through her music, she always found peace. The songs she sings, most of which are written by her Uncle Herman, are about family, land, and even humor.

“They're about life,” she said.

Now, she is a Grammy nominee.

“She's always been a positive, hard-working artist,” said Kathy Norris, director of promotions for Canyon Records, Cody's recording label.

“Truly, this album is her best album. She's really matured,” Norris said.

Canyon Records artists, to date, have received 31 Grammy nominations, though Cody is the first Native American in two years to be nominated.

“It makes it no less after 31,” Norris said. “It's really neat to see Radmilla rise to the top.”

Cody will not know until the night of the ceremony whether she wins the award. Regardless of who wins, she said, the nomination itself makes her hopeful.

“Going to the Grammys, my work, number one, has paid off,” Cody said. “But it's not done.”

Cody hopes to meet some of her favorite artists at the awards, including Alicia Keys, Adele, Emeli Sande, and Rhianna.

Cody will be changing out of her traditional attire into something more contemporary for the ceremony itself, but she still will keep in mind her roots and her people.

“If I win, I'm going to express much gratitude to the creator, the holy people, our sacred elements, our sacred mountains, my grandmother, my uncle Herman, my family, and you have to thank the whole clan – you can't just say family – and the Navajo Nation, they rock,” she said. “They're going to be like, Get off the stage.”'

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Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com