Compilation album celebrates Inuit musical voices

Caroline Alexander found music at a time when she needed it most.

Growing up in Puvirnituq, her family lived in a stone house her father and uncle built; it had no electricity or running water. She remembers there was a Hudson’s Bay Company general store in the community that sold record players and vinyl record albums.

“The songs that were sung on the record player inspired me very much because they touched my heart,” Alexander said, adding she knew only a little English at the time.

Her mother was sent to a sanatorium for two years, and during that time Alexander said she experienced bullying in school and felt alone.

“In my teenage years was the time I needed [music] most. That’s when the trauma and fear stepped in. But I couldn’t express myself to the people I was with, so I sang,” she said.

Between February 2024 and April this year, the Avataq Cultural Institute located near Montreal collaborated with producer Simon Walls and Atty Records to record six albums throughout Nunavik in Inukjuak, Salluit and Kuujjuaq.

From that came Pisivut 2025, a 14-track compilation showcasing the best songs from those albums, including three songs by Alexander.

She said in the past, she taped songs with her brother on cassettes but never recorded professionally. So when Avataq gave her the chance, she was reluctant.

“At the time, I’d just lost my husband and I just didn’t want to do anything at all.”

She eventually agreed and released her first album, self-titled Caroline Alexander, on Sept. 27, 2024. She said she is inspired by country and western music.

Puvirnituq, a tribute to her community, is featured on the compilation album.

“My singing life is always with me,” Alexander said.

Another Nunavik artist featured on Pisivut is Charlie Taqqik, whose debut album reached No. 1 on the iTunes Canada songwriter chart for five days in June.

Taqqik, which is the Inuktitut word for moon, was recorded over six and a half days in Salluit and Montreal last winter.

The Salluit-based singer-songwriter was hesitant to record the album.

“I get a little bit nervous in front of people or being known. I like to be private,” Taqqik said.

He selected Siarnisamik, a song about heartbreak and letting go, to be on the compilation album.

“It’s about strength. You cannot possess people. We have to let them go if they don’t like us,” he said of the song.

Taqqami is his second song that’s featured.

“That’s about hunting geese,” he said. “At the end, you can hear the geese screaming while the song is ending.”

Charlie Taqqik is one of six artists featured in a compilation album showcasing various Indigenous voices. His debut album Taqqik reached No. 1 on the iTunes Canada songwriter chart in June. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Taqqik)

While he prefers a quiet life, Taqqiq said he hopes to play some live shows in 2026.

“I’m thankful that people are listening to my CDs,” he said.

Pisivut, whose songs are sung entirely in Inuktitut, is available on most music streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.