‘I completed my pinky swear’: Little Pine First Nation singer turns loss into music with debut single

“It’s about self-reflection, it’s about self-discovery,” Sapp said. “It’s about moving forward in life, no matter what.”

Sapp’s connection to music began early, watching family members sing and play guitar. By her 20s, she was writing songs of her own, but later set that part of her life aside while raising her children.

Years later, they asked her why.

“I said, ‘Well, I put that away. That’s a pipe dream,’” she recalled.

They didn’t accept that answer.

“And they made me pinky swear in my kitchen here as we speak to retrieve that dream that I had put away for so many years.”

Keeping that promise would take time.

In 2011, her son died in a highway accident near North Battleford. In 2015, her daughter died after living for years with a heart condition, followed by the death of her children’s father earlier that year and, months later, her youngest son.

“It was just like one after another,” she said.

In the years that followed, songwriting became a way to process what she had experienced.

“A friend of mine just said, ‘Write what you feel. Write what’s on your mind,’” Sapp said. “And I started writing and I could not stop writing. I think it was just like a dam broke loose.”

No More Looking Back came together during the COVID-19 pandemic, when those memories resurfaced.

“When COVID happened, that’s when I think all my memories, all my feelings, it just came onto this one piece of paper, and I couldn’t stop writing,” she said, adding the song was written in less than 20 minutes.

The track brings together moments from across her life – from childhood to adulthood – tied to a single idea: continuing forward.

“I remember sitting on my father when I was four years old, and he had this old truck… and he goes, ‘Come on, put your foot on the gas,’” she said.

While the song reflects difficult experiences, Sapp said its message is not rooted in despair.

“There is good elements to the song. It’s not a really depression song,” she said. “It’s about letting go of things that no longer serve you.”

(Image Credit: Laurel Sapp Music)

Musically, Sapp describes the track as rooted in country rock with an outlaw edge, shaped by influences she grew up with and artists she continues to admire, like Johnny Cash and Gretchen Wilson, along with a mix of classic country and rock elements.

“I always believe that you write what you feel,” she said. “Write authentically as real and raw as you possibly can.”

“I needed to feel the drums. I needed to feel the guitar. I needed to feel the emotion,” she said.

“This is where I found my solace and my peace.”

From there, she began working with Rainy Day Recording Co. in Saskatoon, selecting songs from a catalogue that has grown to dozens over the years. The single marks the first of several planned releases, with more music expected in the coming months and a full album anticipated later this year.

By releasing this single, it also means one thing.

“I completed my pinky swear,” she said. “You know what, kids, your mom’s doing it.”

Through her music, she hopes others might find encouragement in their own struggles.

“It’s okay not to be okay,” she said. “But it’s not okay if you don’t do anything about it. You need to reach out.”

In the end, No More Looking Back is about learning how to carry the past while continuing ahead.

“It’s okay to look back,” Sapp said.

“But it’s also more important that we need to move forward.”

The single is available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and YouTube Music.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘I completed my pinky swear’: Little Pine First Nation singer turns loss into music with debut single

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