Inuk singer-songwriter Abraham “Agaaqtoq” Eetak, from Arviat, returns with his new album, “Agaaqtoq 2.” The full digital release is planned for late summer. (Photo courtesy of Iqklu Killulark)
Arviat singer-songwriter returns with new Inuktitut album
First single from ‘Agaaqtoq 2’ released May 2; full album expected in late summer
Ten years after releasing his debut album, Arviat performer Agaaqtoq is returning to the northern music scene with the upcoming release of his second studio album, Agaaqtoq 2.
The album includes 10 original tracks written and performed in Inuktitut. The first single, Run Free, was released May 2 on all major streaming platforms.
The full digital album is expected to come out later this summer, according to a news release issued April 25 by his Nunavut-based record label Hitmakerz. CDs are already available directly from the artist.
Copies of Inuk singer-songwriter Agaaqtoq’s new album, “Agaaqtoq 2,” are available directly from the artist. (Photo courtesy of Hitmakerz)
“This album is a journey,” Agaaqtoq — whose full name is Abraham Eetak — said in the release.
“Each song is a piece of me — written from the land, from the heart, and for my kids.”
Produced by Chris Coleman, the owner of Iqaluit-based music recording facility Nuvu Music and Sound, the album continues Agaaqtoq’s “signature blend of rock, blues and Inuktitut storytelling,” the release said.
In 2022, Agaaqtoq and Danish-Canadian recording artist Thor Simonsen collaborated to create an Inuktitut song using the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT. The song is titled Gitaralauq Sulusiaq, which Hitmakerz describes as “supposedly meaning ‘guitar players, let’s dance.'”
“When the Inuktitut lyrics were generated, it included English translations,” a March 3, 2023, news release about the song said.
“However, the artists initially thought the Inuktitut was Greenlandic, since it sounded like Inuktitut but didn’t make any sense. After consulting with Greenlandic speakers, they realized the lyrics were a strange kind of Inuktitut gibberish.”
Agaaqtoq performed in Baker Lake on March 22 at a free community concert held to raise awareness around mental health. That event, supported by the Hamlet of Baker Lake, featured local and regional artists including Ted Thomson, Tunaalaaq Martin Kreelak and Hugh Tulurialik.
Agaaqtoq also played at the Alianait Arts Festival in Iqaluit last year, where he shared his mix of original Inuktitut lyrics and guitar-driven sound with a broader audience.
If he can practice and use the location he can really advance his voice by his Inuktitut language. Where he comes from arviat where it’s always windy and allows citizens to use their language in a special way.
Here in Arviat most jobs are women. Not much jobs for Inuit men. Just be on income support. It’s all women all those jobs here in Arviat.