Alianait to showcase pisiit across musical genres

Musicians from across Inuit Nunangat make up the first handful of artists set to take the stage at this year’s Alianait Arts Festival in Iqaluit.

Festival organizers began announcing artists on the Alianait Facebook page on May 4. In the lineup so far: Naja P, a 26-year-old singer-songwriter from Greenland; Beatrice Deer from Quaqtaq; Arviat’s Jacob Okatsiak; and Greenland musician Andachan.

From Nuuk, Naja P is slotted to make her second appearance at the annual festival. She played a stripped-down set in 2022, accompanied by just her producer, Tûtu. This time, she is bringing her whole band.

“I can promise the audience will experience a kind of empowerment of being an Inuk, a pride in being Inuk,” Naja P said.

Beatrice Deer will be busy touring in the lead-up to her set in Iqaluit. She spoke with Nunatsiaq News this week while she and her band were about to catch a flight from Montreal to Cambridge Bay, where they will perform two shows before heading to Gjoa Haven for the Umingmak Frolics.

“That was not part of the original plan,” Deer said. “But Gjoa Haven heard that we’re going to Cambridge Bay; they contacted us and asked if we can hop on the plane and do a show while we’re in the neighbourhood.”

Afterward, Deer is scheduled to perform May 25 at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s annual gala in Ottawa and May 30 at the Enfant Soleil Telethon in Quebec City. Then, she heads north again.

Deer said she’s excited for Alianait — not just to perform, but to connect with other artists.

“I absolutely love performing in Iqaluit,” Deer said. “It’s always a really enthusiastic, super loud crowd, so it’s a lot of fun. I love Alianait. All the artists, not just during the show, but afterwards. The hangouts, the jams: I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jacob Okatsiak is a rapper from Arviat who worked with Iqaluit’s Hitmakerz on his album Inuugapta. Though Okatsiak is making his first appearance at Alianait, he has collaborated with Iqaluit-based artists and performed in the city in 2022.

“I’m excited to hear some great music and looking forward to reconnecting with my friends and fans,” Okatsiak said over Facebook messenger.

Andachan is a producer and electronic musician from Sisimiut, Greenland, who combines traditional Greenlandic sounds with electronic dance music.

He’s described as a “trailblazer within Greenlandic EDM” on his website, which lists several of his award nominations, including Greenland’s Koda Awards and the Nordic Council Music Prize.

The Alianait Arts Festival is set for June 18 to 21, and has the theme of pisiit, or traditional Inuit songs. The main musical acts will perform under the big yellow and purple tent that festival organizers raise each year in front of Nakasuk Elementary School.