"The Princess of the Métis Fiddle"” - Calvin Vollrath - Grand Champion Fiddle player/ Canadian Music Legend

Darla Daniels

Contemporary Country | FOLK | roots

Darla Daniels is a Métis singer-songwriter, fiddler, composer, and championship Red River Jigger from Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement, Alberta. Blending contemporary country, folk, and roots with the traditions of Métis fiddle, Daniels has developed a sound that brings heartfelt songwriting, cultural connection, and dynamic musicianship together.

A lifelong performer, Daniels has carried Métis music and culture onto stages across Canada and the United States, while continuing to establish her own voice as a contemporary recording artist. Her songwriting explores family, identity, resilience, relationships, ancestry, and connection to the land, with fiddle remaining a defining part of her musical identity without limiting where her music can go.

Whether performing an intimate original song, stepping into a theatre production, or bringing audiences to their feet with fiddle and Red River jigging, Daniels creates performances that move between storytelling, emotion, humour, culture, and celebration. Her work reflects both the traditions that shaped her and the evolving artist she continues to become.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

2025 — Country Music Alberta
Fans’ Choice Award — Finalist
Specialty Instrument Player of the Year — Fiddle — Provincial Top 5 Finalist

2024 — Country Music Alberta
Specialty Instrument Player of the Year — Fiddle — Provincial Top 5 Finalist

2023 — Métis Settlements General Council
Arts & Culture Award — Recipient

2011 — Alberta Aboriginal Youth Achievement Awards
Culture & Heritage — Finalist

2010 — Grant MacEwan University
Young Woman of Vision Award — Recipient

2009 — J.A. Fiddle Fest
Overall Grand Championship — Red River Jig

2008 — Canadian Native Friendship Centre
Aboriginal Youth Female Role Model Award — Recipient

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Edmonton Folk Music Festival

Mariposa Folk Festival

Hillside Festival

Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES

Stratford Festival — The Diviners — The Métis Fiddler

International Indigenous Music Summit

Back to Batoche Days

Winspear Centre

Newport Celtic Rock Festival

Mardi Gras — New Orleans

NOTABLE SHARED STAGES & FESTIVAL BILLS

Aysanabee • Dan Mangan • Snotty Nose Rez Kids • Gwenifer Raymond • Ashley MacIsaac • The Road Hammers • Gary Allan

Press photos

Inquiries