Kim Moberg – The Seven Fires Prophecy (2023)
Kim Moberg’s lovely new album, The Seven Fires Prophecy, explores an Anishinaabe legend that predicts seven periods in the future. The folk-rock fueled first single, “The Crossroad,” focuses on the Seventh Fire, a critical time when humanity must unite and care for each other and the Earth to survive. The song engages the listener with Moberg’s captivating vocals, elegant, fiery electric guitar and creative percussion.
As an Indigenous artist, Moberg aims to connect with her cultural heritage and shed light on the experiences of Indigenous nations in her area. This album is her third release, produced by Grammy-nominated Jon Evans.
“It is said we are currently in the time of The Seventh Fire and the prophecy teaches us that during this time it is critically important for human beings to choose to come together as one, to care for and respect each other and our Earth in order to survive,” Moberg says. “I believe we can do this and to me, the ‘fire’ in this song refers to hope. ‘And the fire still burns’ means that hope lives.”
Moberg was born in Juneau, Alaska, the daughter of a mother of Alaskan Native Tlingit descent and a US Coast Guard veteran father from Kansas. The acclaimed vocalist, lyricist, and guitarist acquired an inborn musical intuition, a consistent presence during her early years that aided her in adapting to the frequent relocations linked with her upbringing in a military household.
“I’m an Indigenous artist who is trying to learn more about and shed light on my own cultural heritage and that of other Indigenous nations in the area where I live,” she says. “I want to use my music to help let non-Indigenous folks know that Indigenous people are still here. We are an integrated and valuable yet extremely marginalized part of today’s society, and we are very proud of our culture and our heritage.”
The Seven Fires Prophecy is Kim’s third release, following Up Around the Bend (2020), and Above Ground (2017), both also recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Jon Evans.
Author: Claudia Taylor
