Elisapie releases “Sinnatuumakka (Dreams)” today, a song she recorded for the CBC, APTN and Netflix original series North of North, in which she also makes a guest appearance. Three years after the release of her album Inuktitut, which propelled her onto stages worldwide, the Inuk singer-songwriter has translated and adapted The Cranberries’ classic into her mother tongue. Episodes featuring Elisapie and her new song are now streaming in Canada on APTN+ and CBC Gem, and will air tonight on CBC TV and APTN TV beginning at 9 PM local. North of North Season 2 will then launch globally on Netflix later this fall.
“It’s a song that really resonates with the Inuit world, says Elisapie. In the North, it’s cold, and life isn’t always easy. That’s why dreams take on a special place. They’re a way to escape and imagine something else.“
Set in the Canadian Arctic, the second season of North of North sees Siaja (Anna Lambe) still making bold decisions and even bolder mistakes in her effort to level up her life and prove she’s ready to take charge as winter closes in on the Ice Cove community. “It was very moving to see Siaja’s character open up and dream throughout the episodes, adds Elisapie. “This series allows us to dream, and I think the Inuit need that.”
Elisapie was invited by Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment, North of North’s production team, to take part in the show’s second season, which was filmed earlier this year in Iqaluit and Toronto. In addition to making a cameo appearance, she can be seen performing the songs “Sinnatuumakka (Dreams)” and “Arnaq”.
“During the shoot, there were times when I wasn’t sure if it was reality or fiction,” says Elisapie. “And I was lucky enough to share this experience with my band!”
“When we wrapped, Elisapie played a couple more songs just for the crowd so they could enjoy a performance without having to hold back their reactions,” say Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, North of North’s co-creators and executive producers, and founders of Red Marrow Media. “She dedicated a song to any residential school survivors in the room, and there wasn’t a dry eye. There are a few hundred Inuit who will carry that experience with them for the rest of their lives, us included.”
This fall, Elisapie will perform at Lincoln Center in New York City (October 8), at Massey Hall in Toronto as a special guest of Allison Russell (October 22), and twice in Paris: at the Théâtre de la Cité on November 14 and at the Quai Branly on November 15. She will return to Toronto on November 26 to participate in the Mina Nowewinan concert at the Carlu as part of the Indigenous Music Summit. Visit Elisapie’s website for more information on her upcoming shows.
In parallel with her music career, Elisapie co-directed and co-wrote the animated short film Piluk with multidisciplinary artist Marc Séguin. Produced by the National Film Board, the film has recently been selected for several festivals, including the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, the Bucheon International Animation Film Festival in South Korea, and the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Elisapie reinvigorates the poetry of 10 legendary songs (by Leonard Cohen, Blondie, Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac to name a few) by translating and singing them in her mother tongue. The raw sounds of the thousand-year-old Inuit language give each track a unique and deeply personal quality. Each song, produced by her close collaborator Joe Grass, is linked to a loved one or an intimate story that shaped Elisapie’s identity. Through this act of cultural reappropriation, she tells her story and offers these songs as a gift to her community, making her language and culture resonate beyond the borders of the Inuit territory.
Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Inuktitut was released in September 2023. In addition to spending four weeks in the Top 10 album sales chart in Canada, and garnering two Juno Awards and six Félix Awards, the album has caught the attention of KEXP, Le Monde, Vogue, Rolling Stone, CBC, ELLE Canada, Exclaim!, The Globe and Mail, and many others. It is the Inuk artist’s second album to land a shortlist nomination for the Polaris Music Prize. Since its release, Elisapie has played over 90 shows in her home country and has toured in Europe, the U.S., Australia and Japan.
Elisapie’s unconditional attachment to her territory and language, Inuktitut, remains at the core of her creative journey. Born and raised in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik accessible only by plane, Elisapie is an emblematic Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter. Since winning her first JUNO Award in 2005 with her band Taima, her body of work has been praised many times. Always surrounded by the best musicians from the Montreal indie and folk scenes, Elisapie makes her culture resonate with finesse by mixing modernity and tradition.
Upcoming Tour Dates
Oct 7 North Adams,MA – Sing For Your Slumber
Oct 8 New York, NY- David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
Oct 22 Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
Nov 14 Paris, FR- International City Theatre
Nov 15 Paris, FR- Musée du Quai Branly – Théâtre Claude Lévi-Strauss
Nov 26 Toronto, ON – Mina Nowewinan
