Winnipeg’s The Bloodshots hit No. 1 on Indigenous Music Countdown

Fans love The Bloodshots, a Winnipeg band fronted by Sagkeeng First Nation’s CJ Loane.

Right now, they’re No.1  on the Indigenous Music Countdown (IMC) — chosen by fans, paying homage to how The Bloodshots first came onto the music scene.

“That’s how we kind of got into the public eye, was a fan-voting contest,” said Loane in an interview with CityNews. 

Now, to have a song shoot to No.1 on the IMC, is a milestone moment for the group.

“We’ve had songs on the IMC in the past and I think we’ve only ever gotten to the Top 10 once, and this song, I think it just, it really catches people,” he said.

“The fan voting, they said, was just over-the-top for us. We had leap-frogged to No. 1  from No. 4, I believe. They said it was all due to high fanfare. So we were pleasantly shocked.” 

Loane says the band’s song that shot to No.1, called ‘Empty,’ came during a time of change for the group.

“The song is about realizing if a certain situation doesn’t suit you anymore, but you kind of get stuck in the groove, and being comfortable in that situation, just being brave and getting out of it. Looking at how good your life can be,” he said. 

“We’ve heard things in the past like: ‘they get enough opportunities on the Indigenous front, they don’t need anymore.’ You know what I mean? So I think it’s kind of a double-edged sword, but you are who you are. We are who we are and that’s all there is to it.”

He stressed however the attention being given to Indigenous artists is positive for the music scene and the community. 

“We’ve played with a lot of Indigenous artists over the years and it’s just something that’s getting more focus these days I feel like,” he said. “I think it’s good for the overall music scene.”