Photo Credit: Leeor Wild
Performing at 2024 Juno Awards
Inuktitut Out Now
Currently nominated for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year and Album Artwork of the Year at the Juno Awards, Elisapie now unveils a music video for “Sinnatuumait (Dreams),” off her album Inuktitut.
In addition to her two nominations, the Inuk singer will perform alongside Jeremy Dutcher at the Juno Awards ceremony on March 24 at 8pm EST (broadcast via CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s YouTube page). Elisapie also launches the Inuktitut book, which serves as a listening companion to her latest album, and continues her tour in Canada and Europe.
On “Sinnatuumait (Dreams),“ Elisapie pays tribute to her older brother Sailasie, who was killed in a fire at the local prison when she was just two years old: “One of my earliest memories is of being a tiny child on a motorcycle driven by a young man. Wrapped up in his large body, I felt safe, free, and loved, like we weren’t just driving but flying across the tundra. I didn’t know who this mysterious man was until many years later, when I learned it was in fact my older brother, Sailasie. I had always thought I had no memories of him. But that ride was a precious gift he left for me.”
“My mother, who could never listen to Fleetwood Mac songs without becoming very emotional, always told me how much their music reminded her of Sailasie. Although I had no memories of my brother, I felt a deep connection to him through the song [Dreams]. It became a cathartic gospel to us, a way for his spirit to come alive and dance around the room. Each time the song ended, we said goodbye to him, the way we couldn’t in real life.”
“But now, knowing that Sailasie gave me that first memory of being alive and loved, the song has taken on new meaning. It is a dirge, a celebration of his life, and a way for me to give him back what he gave to me. Every time I hear it, I sing it back as a gift to my brother Sailasie.”
Directed by Philippe Léonard and filmed in the stunning Tundra landscape of Salluit, the music video is a powerful representation of this moving memory.
Elisapie created the Inuktitut book out of a desire to share her stories, her memories and the images of the North that inspired her latest album. This trilingual effort in Inuktitut, French and English explores the story behind each song off her latest album, and features a number of striking archival photographs.
The Inuktitut book is available now via Bonsound’s online store and in various independent bookstores.
