9a (pronounced: “nee-nuh”) is a multi-award-winning Oglala Lakota singer / songwriter based on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
In their music, she features a story entitled “the oglala wolf puppy w/ PTSD” which chronicles their process of reconnecting to her Lakota culture, language and healing the ramifications of intergenerational trauma brought upon by colonization. They bill their style as “Lakota pop”, incorporating Lakota identity, language, culture, protocols in a modern context while bringing in genres such as contemporary pop, R&B, alt hip hop, country, heavy metal, traditional drum singing, etc. And 1 thing you know about Wanbli’s music, is that it packs depth. Messages surrounding true love, healing in mental health, sex positivity, intergenerational trauma are guaranteed to make an impact on audiences of all kinds but hopes to speak directly to their Lakota / indigenous relatives around the world in hopes of empowering our communities to back themselves & homelands.