Kimmirut rapper calls new song a ‘very deep, raw track’

A rapper and singer from Kimmirut released the first single from his upcoming debut album on June 21.

Leo Matthew, currently based in Quebec City, said the fact that it was also National Indigenous Peoples Day “was a factor” in deciding to put out the song, called I.N.U.K., on that date.

Matthew calls it a “very deep and raw track” that interweaves culture and hardships alongside a catchy beat.

“It comes from dealing with people around you losing themselves,” the 21-year-old artist said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News, adding much of his inspiration came from the isolation people felt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I made a song that perhaps could give them some light of hope they can find themselves with the song,” he said.

Matthew moved from Nunavut to Quebec with his father about six years ago, and recalled that growing up in Nunavut he would sing along as his dad played guitar.

“One time, I was at school and we made a little band together,” he said. “There was my dad and two other guys, and we were making performances at our school.”

From there, he continued to perform at local talent shows to hone his craft.

In 2022, he said, he answered a shoutout from Hitmakerz, the Nunavut-based record label that specializes in promoting Inuit and Indigenous music, and attended an audition at the Black Heart Café in Iqaluit.

“I ended up getting contacts and [making] friends with new people, Hitmakerz and other artists from Nunavut, and so much inspiration came back,” he said.

Of his music, Matthew said, “I gain inspiration from drawbacks, hardships, life is a rollercoaster going up and down.

“So, I really strive on pushing people to push forward for themselves and just looking up toward the sky, having a chin up.”

In 2023, he released his first-ever single, called Alive, under the name Inukutaa, before deciding to perform as Leo Matthew.

I.N.U.K., is the first single from Matthew’s upcoming debut six-track album, The Boy from Nunavut, which will be available July 26 on the label Hitmakerz label.

The recording was done in Toronto with engineers Matt Snell and Robbie Brett, who previously worked with mega artists Drake and Dua Lipa.

According to a news release from Hitmakerz, the album is a “collection of authentic narratives inspired by the hardships Leo and his community have faced, as well as his constant drive to persevere through it all.”

Matthew says his album is “very uplifting, with a lot of hip-hop beats.”

“Out of the six-track album, three of them are very melodic and the other three are very hard punching bass, fun, gym music,” he said.

The song and album are being distributed with financial support from the Government of Nunavut.

I.N.U.K. will be available across all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.