Ya Tseen is a continually evolving musical collaboration guided by Nicholas Galanin/Yeil Ya Tseen, a multidisciplinary artist born into the Sitka Tribe of Alaska (Tlingit) Galanin is L'uknax. ádi (Raven Coho clan).
Yeil Ya Tseen/Galanin has been creating music, customary Tlingit carving, and interdisciplinary art for over two decades. Galanin's sculpture and video work have been shown at the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, Whitney Biennial, Sydney Biennial, Desert X, Art Week Miami Beach, and by the New York Public Art Fund. Galanin is a member of the artist collective Black Constellation. In 2018, Galanin raised his first Kooteeya (totem pole) as lead carver in Juneau, Alaska, followed by a second in 2023. Galanin's visual and sonic work are interconnected streams of creative flow, each integral to the watershed of work he produces and contributes to.
On Stand On My Shoulders, Ya Tseen expands their collaborative approach, featuring Portugal The Man, Meshell Ndegeocello, dreamcastmoe, Anel Figueroa, Jahon Mikal, Pink Sifu, Sidibe, Hanna Ben, and Ashley Young. The album builds on connection and revolutionary love as a foundation for collective liberation. With Stand On My Shoulder Ya Tseen uplifts the gifts given to us by our ancestors and the collective responsibilities we have to future generations. The album is an incandescent exploration of existence and a celebration of the persistence of love and connection to Land.
