"Elisapie's moving, transformative "Isumagijunnaitaungituq" is not only a reimagining of Metallica's "The Unforgiven" but a reawakening"
Life is a trip full of ups and downs for sure, full of amazing blessings and tragedies. Sometimes you find yourself in places because you put yourself out there and years later that moment becomes part of a circle, connected strands of kismet. That comes to mind when I read the story of Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie as I listened to the incredibly moving, transformative "Isumagijunnaitaungituq", her reshaping of Metallica's "The Unforgiven".
As press notes reveal, the track [pays tribute to the Inuit men of her community. It is also a nod to the time she interviewed Kirk Hammett from Metallica in the early 90s], Elisapie shares:
“When I was 14 years old, I applied for a job at TNI, the first Inuit TV-radio broadcaster, and I was thrilled when I was chosen for the position! Everyone at the station dreamed big, and they put in a request for an interview with Metallica. The band was so loved in Salluit that we had to give it a shot. Metallica accepted only two interviews on their Québec tour, and TNI was chosen. In my boys' eyes, I was the coolest!
“When I was 14 years old, I applied for a job at TNI, the first Inuit TV-radio broadcaster, and I was thrilled when I was chosen for the position! Everyone at the station dreamed big, and they put in a request for an interview with Metallica. The band was so loved in Salluit that we had to give it a shot. Metallica accepted only two interviews on their Québec tour, and TNI was chosen. In my boys' eyes, I was the coolest!
As a teenager, I only wanted to hang around the gang of boys in my village. We would all go to my cousin's house and smoke weed while listening to Metallica. The band's music allowed us to delve into the darkness of our broken souls and feel good there. Men's roles in our territory had been challenged by colonization, and it had become confusing what life was supposed to look like for a man. My boys were seeking new roles, and subconsciously, I allowed them to be my bodyguards so they could feel strong. Looking back, I was trying to give them the strength to find their place.
‘Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)’ incorporates throat singing, known as katajjaq in Inuktitut. It felt like katajjaq was so appropriate, says Elisapie. It is Inuit women who throat sing. Inuit women, mothers and grandmothers had to be the nurturing ones during the hard times, as men were struggling emotionally due to colonialism. Through this song, I wanted the feminine strength to balance the men's challenges.”
I have a standing rule, a soft rule, not a hard one about covers. I am not that interested in them because AP is songwriter based but when I floated into "Isumagijunnaitaungituq" with it's raw upfront guitar, percussive tribal tones and especially Elisapie's vocal countenance, stunning in it's fragile melancholy, I sat in my chair gobsmacked. When the chorus overtook me and I realized that this was a reimagining, or maybe more to the point a re-awakening of "The Unforgiven" it felt incredibly impactful. There is something about the weight of Metallica's song itself coursing through different veins in a language that is exquisitely beautiful, yet foreign, that makes the song somehow feel even more universal. As sounds flood in, rushed percussion, breaths, acoustic drones of sound, my emotions are spent. Amazing.
"Isumagijunnaitaungituq" is from Elisapie's fourth solo album "Inuktitut" (the language she sings in) and it covers 10 classic rock and pop songs from the 60's to the 90's. As press notes share:
[Every song from the album is linked to a loved one or an intimate story that has shaped the person Elisapie is today. 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.]
Step, float into "Isumagijunnaitaungituq" via the Official Video directed by Philippe Léonard.
-Robb Donker Curtius
https://www.facebook.com/elisapieisaac/
https://twitter.com/elisapie
https://www.instagram.com/elisapie/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/37Hkw3PjSoS9k06WwMibM3
Elisapie’s unconditional attachment to her territory and her language, Inuktitut, remains at the core of her creative journey. Born and raised in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik which is only accessible by plane, Elisapie is an emblematic Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter. Since winning her first Juno Award in 2005 with her band Taima, Elisapie’s body of work has been praised many times. Her 2018 album The Ballad of the Runaway Girl was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and earned her numerous Félix Awards as well as a Juno nomination. Since then, the Inuk artist performed with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal at the invitation of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, at the SummerStage Festival in New York City’s Central Park, and at the NPR offices for her own Tiny Desk Session, as well as at several local and international venues and festivals. 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.
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.facebook.com/elisapieisaac/
https://twitter.com/elisapie
https://www.instagram.com/elisapie/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/37Hkw3PjSoS9k06WwMibM3
Elisapie’s unconditional attachment to her territory and her language, Inuktitut, remains at the core of her creative journey. Born and raised in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik which is only accessible by plane, Elisapie is an emblematic Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter. Since winning her first Juno Award in 2005 with her band Taima, Elisapie’s body of work has been praised many times. Her 2018 album The Ballad of the Runaway Girl was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and earned her numerous Félix Awards as well as a Juno nomination. Since then, the Inuk artist performed with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal at the invitation of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, at the SummerStage Festival in New York City’s Central Park, and at the NPR offices for her own Tiny Desk Session, as well as at several local and international venues and festivals. 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.
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