Inukjuak band’s 2nd album hits the right notes with contest judges

Inukjuak-based band Qimutjuit brought home the award for album of the year Indigenous languages from the 2025 Premier Gala de L’ADISQ.

The 46th edition of l’Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video — or Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries — celebrated the best of Quebec’s music and art at a ceremony Nov. 5 at Montréal’s Théâtre Wilfrid-Pelletier.

The self-titled album Qimutjuit, the band’s second album, was released last December. It’s available on Spotify and Apple Music. The band, including singer and guitarist Charlie Iqaluk, singer and drummer Eric Atagotaaluk, keyboardist Pauloosie Kasudluak and bass player Jobie Oweetaluktuk, was formed in 1990.

“We were pretty much dumbfounded. We were genuinely not expecting to win the award,” Atagotaaluk said in an interview.

The band released its debut album, titled Cousin, in 1997. Since then, conflicting work hours and personal commitments made it difficult for members to come together and make music, said Iqaluk, one of the band’s main songwriters.

“I retired from my job for about six years now. So, I have a chance to play with them more often,” he said.

“So finally we had to make a new album again.”

Avataq Cultural Institute, an Inuit cultural organization in Nunavik, provided the band with funding to record the album, Atagotaaluk said. The organization teamed up with music producer Simon Walls and Atty Records to record in Inukjuak, Kuujjuaq and Salluit.

Qimutjuit is made up of songs centred around life in the Arctic, including some gospel songs written in Inuktitut.

“We’ve never really thought about writing songs in any other language than our own language,” Atagotaaluk said. “It was just normal that all of our songs are in Inuktitut.”

He added that some of the songs on the album were written back in the 1990s but not recorded until last year.

Oweetaluktuk reflected on the band’s beginnings and its commitment to serve the community.

“When we started in 1990, I always used to tell them we’re here to have fun, to play music and see people happy,” he said.

“I keep that word to them and it’s still going on.”