Elisapie, an Inuk singer-songwriter from Salluit, Nunavik, poses for a portrait in Toronto, Thursday, June 20, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
TORONTO – Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie says her deeply personal album of cover songs by Metallica, Blondie, Led Zeppelin and others has given her new insight into the power of musical storytelling.
She says it’s not something she expected when she began translating the lyrics of classic hits into Inuktitut a few years ago.
But lately, she’s found these familiar songs have opened up conversations with her audience about their own memories tied to the music.
“Inuktitut,” is a 10-track album with each cover song chosen because it evoked specific memories of her childhood in the tiny Nunavik village of Salluit, Que.
Songs originally performed by Leonard Cohen, Pink Floyd and Cyndi Lauper help illustrate her stories of family, struggle and painful losses.
The album won a Juno earlier this year and in September, it will compete for the Polaris Music Prize alongside records from the Beaches, Charlotte Cardin and Allison Russell.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2024.
