The Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter will perform at the Yukon Arts Centre and Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture in March.
Elisapie grew up in Salluit, an Inuit community in the northern Quebec region of Nunavik. She has lived in Montreal for almost 25 years while travelling the world as a singer-songwriter, but her home, culture, traditions and her language, Inuktitut have always been the foundations of her personal and creative identity. But what most might not know is the role the Yukon played in the beginning of her musical journey.
“I kind of started my career in Whitehorse,” Elisapie says. “There was a festival called Frostbite and I remember arriving there for a week and meeting so many people from all over the place with my project, Taima. It was really the beginning; I think it was very eye-opening to me to see that there’s a whole world out there of artists and people in small communities coming from all over the world, actually.”
Over the years, Elisapie has returned to the Yukon a few times, performing alongside local artist Diyet van Lieshout and taking part in the Dawson City Music Festival (DCMF). This March, she will be back in the Yukon for two shows on her cross-Canada tour, performing in Whitehorse at the Yukon Arts Centre (YAC) on March 21 and in Dawson City at the Klondike Institute of Arts and CUlture (KIAC) on March 22.
“I’m so excited to be back,” she says. “It amazes me how vast the north is. I think we need to learn so much more about the land and the people. I always of course think about the Indigenous people living in these places where it was pretty much taken over by so much and I’m just always so happy to see how people are able to live together and repair. The repairing part is really important for me, because without acknowledging the Indigenous people there can never really be a sense of being in a palace and feeling good.”
Understanding that there is still a long way to go, Elisapie says visiting the north shows her the reparations that are taking place, and leaves her optimistic that they will continue.
“I just love seeing all the different activities and different initiatives to really try to redo what was done. I think that;s what I love seeing in places like Whitehorse or Yellowknife or even in cities. I think that’s really important to always be reminded where we stand and who was here and who is still here, so I’m really excited to come out and see all the different people at the venues where we’re going to be playing.”
For her most recent release, Elisapie teamed up with Montreal-based electronic artist and producer Hologramme to an EP, Inuktitut (Remixes), comprised of electronic-infused selections from her latest album, Inuktitut. The album features Inuktitut language covers of well-known pop and rock songs.
“These are cover songs I stole from white people,” Elisapie laughs. “It allowed me to reach so many more people and I’m just blown away.”
After working with Hologramme to present a dance-oriented live performance of songs off of Inuktitut, Elisapie felt some of the tracks should be released in the more upbeat, electronic style.
“It just was so much fun to do,” she says.
With her tour already underway, Elisapie is thrilled to be sharing her music with Canadian people across the entire country even if she’s still getting used to jumping between timezones.
“Trying to reach the east and the west and the north and the south in Canada is a lot more complicated than people think,” she says. “Finaly having my own Canadian tour that I’ve been dreaming of for over 25 years imagined, I will not take it for granted.”
Visiting different provinces, territories, cities, towns and regions grows Elisapie’s appreciation of her home country as she’s able to learn about the cultures across Canada, while also teaching people about her own home.
“My show is all about sharing,” she says. “I try to focus on the show, because the music is there to guide us through storytelling that is sometimes very universal, but also eye-opening.”
Elisapie’s hometown is only accessible by plane, so it’s not somewhere many other Canadians have visited. She says her home remains her first and foremost inspiration, and her art will always draw from her roots.
“There is a lot to say, and there is a lot that was not said and a lot that was kept inside with our deep pains,” she says. “I think we’re finally just trying to have an overview and try to think about what the hell happened in the last 50 years for so much pain, so much trauma, and we’re only realizing that we’re not born to be sad or angry. We were born to have the same opportunities as any Canadian, and I think that was a secret that was hidden from us. We deserve respect, and I think by realizing these things, it’s the start of a healing journey. Music, for me, is a way to release and to pay respect to my family and the wonderful people, poetry and beauty that is so overwhelming and inspirational to me.”
To keep up with Elisapie and find tickets for her Yukon shows, visit www.elisapie.com.
“I don’t know if people are ready,” Elisapie says. “But we are.”
