Poitra, under the stage name Dakotah Faye, was invited by the Tigirlily Gold sisters, Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh, to perform a verse in one of their songs together.

Poitra said the opportunity for this live performance collaboration came about because of the “Open Verse Challenge” he participated in. Open verse challenges are a viral social media trend in which fans and listeners are welcomed to put their own spin on a given artist’s song by performing over the instrumental of a chosen track.

Tigirlily Gold had invited fans to write an open verse for their song, “I Tried A Ring On.” When the sisters heard Poitra’s verse for the song, they loved it and shared it to their social media platforms, helping the video go semi-viral. Six months later, Poitra received a message from the sisters asking if he was free the weekend of the Fargo show to perform the verse live with them.

Poitra said, like him, the sisters of Tigirlily Gold have “been around” in the North Dakota music scene and beyond for years and years. He recalled when the duo was touring and performing locally around 10 years ago.

Rapping his semi-viral verse with Tigirlily Gold on the sister duo’s hit song, “I Tried A Ring On,” Dakotah Poitra (Dakotah Faye) and the duo performed this past Saturday at the Sanctuary Events Center in Fargo. Photo from Lauren Braun.

“We’re around the same age and have had a lot of positive interactions on social media,” Poitra said.

However, Poitra said this performance was the first time he met the two sisters formally.

“They were awesome and extremely hospitable to me and a couple of friends I brought with me. They were great. I’m so thankful,” Poitra said.

The Saturday concert was an all-ages show.

“It was Tigirlily Gold’s first headlining show in their home state of North Dakota so that was really incredible to see the massive support for them,” Poitra said.

The Sanctuary Events Center holds around 600 people at capacity, which Poitra said was “definitely a larger crowd than I normally play for, so it was awesome.”

Poitra said the concertgoers were primarily a country crowd and weren’t an audience he was used to performing in front of, but they were a crowd he was excited to connect with nonetheless.

Poitra said he’s at a point in his songwriting where he’s not solely doing rap anymore, and performing in front of the country-loving audience opened his eyes to the possibilities of reaching more people with his music, beyond the constrictions of a specific genre.

Poitra said music evolves with the musician.

“With a lot of songwriters, you’re writing what you’re going through in the moment. … I’m very personal when it comes to my songwriting. It’s a snapshot of where you’re at in life,” he said.

For Poitra, the current snapshot of life his music is capturing includes themes of perseverance and overcoming obstacles, referring to his continued sobriety.

Poitra said in addition to his continued sobriety from alcohol and cocaine, he also has recently quit all nicotine products.

Despite having smoked consistently since he was 16 years old, he said, “Sobriety showed me I’m in control of the ship here. I can quit anything if I choose.”

He said getting sober showed him he was strong enough to rise above any addiction, and he believes it’s important to share his story to inspire others.

“I think sharing the journey is important, so people know it’s not just them going through it. When I first started on my (sobriety) journey, I felt all alone, and I don’t want others to think it’s just them,” Poitra said.

Regarding his current sobriety, he said, “I don’t even really think about it anymore. It feels like I’ve laid it to rest.”

He said he’d like to help inspire others to get to the point he’s at in their own recovery journeys.

Poitra has a jam-packed summer ahead of him with multiple performances scheduled at various festivals, including the Prairie Pothole Music Festival in North Dakota and the Four Winds Music and Arts Festival in Nebraska.

“I don’t think I have a weekend off till August,” he said.

Poitra also is busy finishing up his next album and planning a tour for this fall season, which will kick off in September. He said he will be performing at the Scandinavian Heritage Park this coming weekend for the 2024 Midsummer Festival.