On April 12, second year students in BCIT Broadcast and Online Journalism program had a documentary showcase, and there was a documentary produced by Kobie Smith, Ugiloy Suvonova, and Chris Koo that featured Indigenous singer-songwriter Hayley Wallis.
Hayley Wallis is from Kitasoo/ Xais’Xais Nation also known as Klemtu BC, a small remote reserve located in the Great Bear Rainforest with about 300 people. She moved to Vancouver in 2018 with her two kids to pursue her dreams. Hayley applied for a job with the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) and after the interview, she decided to pack all her things and take her two kids, Kai and Aria, to Vancouver before hearing back from UNYA.
“I gave myself a month to find a job and luckily, I got the job offer from UNYA and have been working here ever since,” said Hayley.
Since moving to Vancouver, her music has grown on all platforms. Hayley started to sing cover songs on YouTube. After that, she started to write and release her own songs. Her first ever song is called Coffee Cup.
“It took me 30 minutes to write that song, from start to finish, and I have not changed any melodies or lyrics since then,” said Hayley.
Hayley also said, “Starting a music career in Vancouver, the Indigenous community is so welcoming.” Her biggest challenge was navigating music while being a full-time mom, working full-time, and having a work-mom life balance and on top of that trying to carve out time to create music, that was the biggest challenge.
Hayley’s message to anyone wanting to chase their dreams is, “Challenge yourself to be uncomfortable because that is where the magic happens.”
Watch the full documentary about Hayley Wallis
Documentary produced by Kobie Smith, Ugiloy Suvonova, and Chris Koo.
About Kobie Smith
Kobie Smith is from Haisla Nation, a small community in Kitimat BC. He is one of the newest Heredity Chief’s for the Salmon Clan. His Heredity chief name is “Hemajalas”. Kobie is a BCIT Indigenous Student Champion and also a 2024 graduate from the BCIT Broadcast and Online Journalism program. At a very young age, he knew he wanted to be a sports play-by-play broadcaster. So in 2021, he applied and got into the BCIT program. During his time at BCIT, he had the opportunity to go broadcast with CFNR in Prince Rupert, BC, at the All Native Basketball tournament. He also worked on doing positive Indigenous stories, and showcasing Indigenous voices. Now that he is a graduate, he hopes to be a sports play-by-play broadcaster, and be a role model for Indigenous Youth to go “Chase their dreams and never give up”.