‘I’m so proud to be an Inuk woman’: Inuit singers celebrate Juno wins

It was a successful weekend for two Inuit women at the Juno Awards – the annual celebration of music presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Elisapie won adult alternative album of the year for Inuktitut, an album on which she sings Inuktitut covers of songs originally by artists such as Blondie, Metallica and Queen.

The singer-songwriter who grew up in Nunavik as Elisapie Isaac received the award at Saturday’s Juno gala, which took place a night before the main televised award show in Vancouver.

“I really wasn’t ready to come up here. I just got here,” Elisapie joked during her acceptance speech.

“I’m so proud to be an Inuk woman. I’m so proud to be singing in my language.”

Inuktitut was also up for album of the year, but lost to Tate McCrae’s Think Later.

Last year, Elisapie won for contemporary Indigenous artist of the year.

Deantha Edmunds, who describes herself as Canada’s first Inuk professional classical singer, won classical composition of the year for Angmalukisaa,  an opera and orchestral composition Edmunds recorded last year with the Newfoundland Symphony orchestra.

In her acceptance speech, also at Saturday’s gala, Edmunds thanked her family and collaborators.

“Nakurmiik. This means the world,” she said.

It wasn’t just Inuit musicians who took to the stage at this past weekend’s Junos.

Iqaluit actress Anna Lambe, who recently starred in North of North, appeared at the main award show Sunday night alongside Newfoundland actor Alan Hawco to present the award for country album of the year.