By Kody Ferron Local Journalism Initiative Northern News Services
Fort Smith’s Marie MacDonald is spending her spare time chasing her musical ambitions, including the recent release of an original track called “Set My Mind.”
Produced by her friend Mapache, a reggae artist from Kingston, Jamaica, “Set My Mind” reflects MacDonald’s everyday battles with anxiety and fear, along with her choice to steer her thoughts toward a brighter direction.
The song features lines such as “darkness only lasts a moment, do not be afraid;” “set my mind on things above, set my mind to soar;” and “I create my own reality with what I feed my mind.” It appears on MacDonald’s third album, Clarity.
Her journey into reggae began after she met Mapache in Mexico in December 2018. She said they clicked right away over their shared love of music. Not long after they started talking, they agreed to work together, and Mapache invited MacDonald to record a song with him the next time she came back to Mexico.
MacDonald, who is Métis, said she now prefers this way of making music: listening to the tracks Mapache creates and allowing the lyrics to emerge naturally.
Originally from Hay River, she has called Fort Smith home since 1983. She said she has raised her family there and has decided to remain because she loves the people in the community.
MacDonald’s music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and YouTube.
Fort Smith is a town in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located in the southeastern portion of the Northwest Territories, on the Slave River and adjacent to the Alberta border along the 60th parallel north.
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