Breaking new ground
New music awards to showcase Aboriginal artists

Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (May 24/99) - New ground is being broken once again in the Canadian music world and sure enough, Iqaluit's Lucie Idlout is in the foreground of the movement.

Selected for her keen ability to be a strong advocate for her fellow Inuit musicians, Idlout was hand-picked to sit on the planning committee that's devising a national awards ceremony to celebrate the varied musical talents of Canada's Aboriginal artists.

"This is the first time anything like this has been done specific to music," said Idlout, 26, who's in the process of gearing up for a busy season of touring Canadian and American folk festivals.

"It's to award specifically Aboriginal artists. There is an award for (us) at the Junos, but the category is very broad so you can be anything from powwow music to spoken word. It's not really a fair category and it's not even televised," said Idlout.

Entitled the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, the national competition will hand out awards in 24 very different categories and whether they're presented in a ceremonial manner or during an entertainment showcase, the event will be nationally televised. The deadline for submissions is July 1 and the contest is open to all performers of First Nations, Metis and Inuit descent.

"Basically what we want to do is acknowledge artists and award them for the art they're creating. It also has a lot to do with cultural preservation," said Idlout.

While the awards are open to artists of all musical mediums, she noted that preference may be given to performers who include a strong cultural component in their work.

"I think that people who are focused on Aboriginal- specific music and not just music done by Aboriginal artists will be more likely to be awarded. That's definitely going to be included in the judging," said Idlout.

Categories include country, folk, hip-hop, traditional, powwow and several other forms of traditional and contemporary aboriginal music.