Interview with Emmet Yepa, Jemez Pueblo, on powwow music

Monday, September 10, 2012  

"Emmet Yepa, originally from New Mexico and a part of the Jemez Pueblo community, has already accomplished something many students at Lawrence dream of — he’s been a member of a band nominated for Grammy awards.

During Yepa’s tenure with the American Indian band Black Eagles, the band was nominated for Best Native American Music Album in 2005 and 2007.

How did it feel to be part of Black Eagles, especially when they were nominated for numerous Grammys?

When I was young, singing, I always pictured being part of the group because my dad sang and my cousins sang — the whole group is just cousins and relatives. I knew I was going to sing eventually. When I heard that we were nominated for a Grammy, I just didn’t know what to feel, what to think. It was an amazing feeling knowing that I had accomplished something that many musicians dream of. Being as young as I was, that was more than I ever dreamed of."

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Grammy-nominated artist among Lawrence University's new students (The Appleton Post-Crescent 9/10)