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Bethel, Indigenous People Get Shout-Out From Grammy Stage

When the Alaskan band Portugal. The Man won a Grammy for Best Pop Song on January 28, 2018, they gave a shout-out to Bethel and Alaska's indigenous people during their acceptance speech.
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On Sunday, the band Portugal. The Man won Best Pop Song for its hit “Feel It Still.” Band members come from Wasilla and the Mat-Su Borough. Founding member Zach Carothers proudly claimed his Alaska roots in his acceptance speech.

“Man, we grew up in a small town in Alaska," Carothers said. "This is crazy for us. Our heroes are dog mushers and stuff like that. This is nuts."

Then at the music industry’s biggest awards night, Bethel and Alaska’s indigenous people got a shout-out from the Grammy stage.

"So man," Carothers continued, "we’d like to rep this for all the kids in the villages: Shishmaref, Barrow, Bethel, all the indigenous people in Alaska and around the world. You’re beautiful. Your culture is beautiful. Thank you for inspiring us.”

Portugal. The Man’s winning song “Feel It Still” has spent 32 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 Chart, peaking at number 4.

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.