Nunavummiut nominated for Junos
Women among those named in Indigenous Music Album of the Year category
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Monday, February 20, 2017
OTTAWA
Two women with Nunavut roots are among those vying for a Juno Award in the Indigenous Music Album of the Year category.
Cynthia Pitsiulak, left, Eric Vani and Charlotte Qamaniq of the trio Silla + Rise who were nominated for a Juno Award in the Indigenous Music Album of the Year category. - photo courtesy of Silla + Rise |
Cynthia Pitsiulak and Charlotte Qamaniq are members of the group Silla + Rise, along with Eric Vani, who goes by Rise Ashen. The trio's first album Debut features 11 tracks blending contemporary dance music and traditional throatsinging.
"It was an experimentation," Pitsiulak said of the collaboration between the three. "We were experimenting with what could come out with our throatsinging and the dance music that Rise Ashen puts out. It was an experiment and we very much enjoyed it."
Pitsiulak is from Kimmirut and Qamaniq is from Iglulik. The trio live in Ottawa.
Pitsiulak said it was a surprise to be nominated.
Work on the album began after Vani approached Pitsiulak to collaborate.
They had worked together years before for a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications project.
"I really enjoyed doing the track with her and it just grew and grew," Vani said.
They kept in touch and brought Qamaniq into the mix.
The two knew each other since elementary school, but really connected after moving to Ottawa while learning and teaching each other throatsigning.
The two had previously worked together on a mix of contemporary music and throatsigning. Debut debuted in January 2016.
The work on the album was an expression of creativity and not something Pitsiulak expected to take off the way it has.
"I didn't really think about what would come of it - I did it because I love to throatsing and everything else that has fallen into place including the Juno nomination is just icing on the cake to me," Pitsiulak said.
Silla + Rise are already working on a second album.
Vani, who is not indigenous, said it was an honour to help share Pitsiulak and Qamaniq's culture.
"For a project I'm involved with to receive that honour, it's a beautiful thing."
Tiffany Ayalik, an Inuk whose father is from Kugluktuk, was also nominated in the category as part of Quantum Tangle with Greyson Gritt of Yellowknife for their album Tiny Hands. The duo performed at Alianait in 2016.
The album's name was inspired by Ayalik's grandmother from Kugluktuk, whom she described as a smaller woman.
"She has little hands that look small but the amazing things that she can do," with them include sewing kamik and parkas, Ayalik said in an interview.
Ayalik, who lives in Yellowknife, was waiting to board a flight from the city to Inuvik when she saw notifications on her phone about the nomination. After checking the Juno website to confirm the news, she reached out to Gritt.
"We had a little freak out and it was awesome," Ayalik said.
Other nominees in the category include Crystal Shawanda for Fish Out Of Water, Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie for Round Dance & Beats (Powwow) and William Prince for Earthly Days.
The Juno Awards will be handed out April 2 in Ottawa.
- with files from Josh Long
