Nunavik’s Elisapie brings her “polar pop” style to Iqaluit

Elisapie Isaac will perform with her four-member band in Iqaluit on Oct. 18 and and Oct. 19. “We’re going to give it our all,” she said. (HANDOUT PHOTO)

Elisapie Isaac looks forward to performing her most recent songs in Iqaluit at two shows, Oct. 18 and 19, for fans and aspiring musicians alike.

“I’m super-excited and I’m really delighted to be there,” Isaac said.

The Nunavik-born singer will perform with four bandmates from Montreal who have backed her in album recordings, including her most recent one, Travelling Love.

“This time I will have more of a sound of the album, with all the instruments. So people should be ready to move a bit more,” she said.

Travelling Love is up for a major music award in Quebec this month, nominated for best English-language album by ADISQ, the Association québecoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video.

The award will be presented at a ceremony in Montreal, Oct. 22.

Released in October 2012, Travelling Love is Isaac’s second solo album. Described as “polar pop,” the songs intermingle Inuktitut with English lyrics.

Isaac’s shows are part of a small Nunavut tour that includes Cape Dorset, where the band arrived Oct. 15 to perform a show and share music with school kids in one of the artist’s favourite northern communities.

“I have a strong connection to Cape Dorset,” she said, pointing to connections through her family in Salluit.

The trip marks her first visit back to the community since her 16th birthday 20 years ago, she said.

“It’s a really special place in the North, I know many people and have family ties, so it’s nice to reconnect.”

Workshops at schools are also an important aspect of her tour, she added.

“I think it’s important for the kids up north not to get the idea that when you become someone who can actually make a career in the arts world, it’s not just glamorous,” she said.

“I’m not from a shining childhood, where things were just given to me like that,” she laughed.

“Sometimes when we do art, we really needed it, it’s like therapy in a way. It’s something that I had to work for, and that I was in need of. So it’s nice for them to have a way to relate to me.”

The shows are also a chance for Isaac’s band to see “a little bit” of where she’s from, she said.

“We’re going to give it our all, everything we have,” she promised.

The Montreal-based singer will also visit Salluit, her hometown, on a separate trip for a youth music talent show, Oct. 30.

Presented by Alianait, Elisapie Isaac’s shows open with performances by The Jerry Cans, and take place at Inuksuk High School.

The Oct. 18 performance begins at 8 p.m., and the Oct. 19 show starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets in advance are $22, and $12 for youth aged 13 to 18 at Arctic Ventures.

Admission at the door is $25 and $15 for teenagers. Shows are free for elders and children under 12 accompanied by an adult.