Stella Standingbear
Stella Standingbear (born Esparanza Stella Standing Bear) is a Native American rapper, singer, and songwriter. An enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Standingbear is recognized as a contemporary Indigenous hip-hop artist. Though she was born and raised primarily in Salt Lake City, Utah, she currently resides on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Standingbear's music is characterized by a fluid, genre-blending style, incorporating melodic alt-rap, R&B, and pop. Lyrically, her work aligns with conscious rap, focusing on themes of healing, empowerment, and social justice, and she is an advocate for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement.
In 2023, Standingbear became the first Lakota artist to secure two wins at the International Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards (IIHA) in Vancouver, Canada, where she secured victories for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and Music Video of the Year for her debut single, "Home Runs." She is a two-time Native American Music Awards (NAMMY) winner and has been profiled in publications including *Teen Vogue* and *Dazed Digital*. Commercially, her debut single, "Home Runs," attained a number one position on the NCI FM Indigenous Music Countdown, broadcast on SiriusXM.
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