Nunavut singer-songwriter releases Inuktitut album to help listeners heal
‘Saimanirnut’ was 2 years in the making, says Looee Arreak
Singer-songwriter Looee Arreak, seen in this 2019 photo, has released “Saimanirnut,” a 10-track album of songs in Inuktitut aimed at supporting Inuit facing hardship. (File photo)
Singer-songwriter Looee Arreak says her new album is meant to bring comfort to people going through hard times.
The Pangnirtung-born musician, now based in Iqaluit, released Saimanirnut last week — a 10-track record of original songs in Inuktitut.
Arreak’s sixth album was more than two years in the making and faced multiple delays, according to a news release from her label Hitmakerz.
“This album is for anyone who feels overwhelmed, isolated, or uncertain,” Arreak said in the release. “These songs are prayers of peace. They remind us that we are never alone.”
The album, which is available on major streaming platforms including Spotify, includes the songs Guutiga Piujualuk and Aqqutiup isuanuuliruma, as well as the title track Saimanirnut.
“This album is different from any other music I’ve created because it is meant to heal us and our community in a way that only music can sometimes,” Arreak said in a Facebook post announcing the album’s release.
She released a nine-track children’s album, Qannikuluit, this year. Her earlier works include I Will Rise Again (2018), Inuktitut Christmas (2016), and Qulliit (2016).
In 2021, Arreak collaborated on Messiah/Complex, a reimagined production of Handel’s Messiah by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Against the Grain Theatre, where she performed on the ensemble album Kuvianattuksovut itigangit (How Beautiful Are the Feet).
The project received a 2022 Juno Award nomination in the Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble) category.
Arreak is also executive director of Qaggiavuut, a non-profit organization working to build Nunavut’s first performing arts centre.
Pang born? Don’t know. Most likely Iqaluit born as they needed to be flown out to give birth.
Since it’s mentioned at the end of the article – it would be nice to know what’s going on with Qaggiavuut. No AGM in years. They’ve lost charitable status. Let’s get an update and the territories only professional theatre school. It seems the ED only focussed on herself and her own projects.