Out on Ishkōdé Records, Empty Hands is the latest single from Logan Staats, following on from last year’s Medicine Wheel both of which are precursors to the next album from Staats. All of these things make the finest sense as Logan Staats is both a proud Mohawk and a noteworthy country and folk songwriter and Ishkōdé Records is an Indigenous women-owned music company founded to ignite and amplify Indigenous voices, songs, and stories. Founded by artists, organizers, and activists Anishinaabekwe ShoShona Kish (Digging Roots – you might have caught them at the Americana Music Awards Showcases in 2025) and solo artist Amanda Rheaume (Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario), Ishkōdé approaches the music industry through a lens of artist- and women-led entrepreneurship, rooted in cultural strength and long-standing industry experience.
The story behind today’s song is one of coincidence – or fate if you prefer – as it was during a songwriting trip to Nashville that Logan Staats met musician Patrick Russell – in a boot shop. The two quickly connected and began work on Empty Hands alongside co-writer and dear friend of Staats, Forrest Eaglespeaker of The North Sound. Staats says of Empty Hands that: “this new song came together as a reminder of being placed exactly where you’re meant to be.”
