Sierra Spirit, is the project of Native American artist Sierra Spirit Kihega. Today, she has released her debut EP, coin toss, via Giant Music. Hailing from Tulsa Oklahoma, the home of both her tribes (Otoe-Missouria and Keetoowah Cherokee), the EP draws from her lived experience and cultural background as part of the Native community. Serving as a beautiful ode to the power of storytelling and honoring her Indigenous roots, the EP is released a few days ahead of Indigenous People’s Day. coin toss tells a raw story of the honest struggles of growing up. Taking inspiration from artists, including Phoebe Bridgers, Ethel Cain and more.

Sierra will celebrate the release of coin toss with a record release party in her hometown Tulsa, OK at Chimera on October 10th. The artist is also partnering with the local non-profit DVIS, who will have a presence at the show. On October 17, Sierra will also play a show in Los Angeles at Make Out Music.

Spirit writes to memorialize people and experiences, but she writes to overcome a history of mental illness. As a kid, she was quiet and reserved which made her fear she came across as unapproachable. “I had such intense anxiety that I spent my younger years keeping to myself out of fear of being misunderstood,” she says. Years have passed since, but Spirit still fixates on those lonely formative years when she felt like a self-described “pushover” and “kicked puppy” around her peers. “Easy” crystallizes that sense of inferiority: “I’m a deer on the side of the highway you hit with your car and then drag 50 feet on your way to the bar like it’s easy/ To take a sharp turn and lose me.” It’s a mouthful of an opening delivered with the inscrutable confidence of a songwriter who no longer feels like fresh roadkill.

“When people know your heart is big and you’re kind, they will take from you until you have nothing left to give,” Spirit says. Her heart is still big, but she’s learned to protect it. On the bridge of “ghost,” she addresses a former lover who’s wasted her time: “You’re habitual, I hope you die alone.” “ghost” was among the first songs Spirit released, and its powerful conclusion signaled the arrival of a venerable new voice. When Spirit began sharing music online, she quickly found a community of fans, many of whom are fellow Indigenous creatives who found kinship in the stories Spirit told. “There are things I need to heal from and it’s important to share, because I want other people who have experienced similar things to feel less alone.”

Sierra Spirit
coin toss
tracklisting

1. ghost
2. bleed you
3. televangelic
4. easy
5. better wild
6. i’ll be waiting (pug)