Twin Flames brings old hits, new songs to Aqpik Jam festival

This story was updated on Wednesday, June 21, at 9 a.m. ET.

Twin Flames closed out Aqpik Jam Aug. 16 with new music from their upcoming album.

Jaaji, the singer-guitarist in the duo Twin Flames, returns to his hometown crowd in Kuujjuaq, where fans sang along with him in Inuktitut. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

The band, made up of Jaaji and Chelsey June, sprinkled their classic songs alongside offerings from Hugging the Cactus, which is set to release this fall. 

Aqpik Jam is Nunavik’s self-proclaimed largest music festival. It ran this year from Aug. 13 to Aug. 16, featuring musicians from the North and beyond.

Jaaji’s history with Aqpik Jam dates back to one of the first years of the festival, in the late 1990s.

“I had just recently learned my four chords, and said, ‘OK, we are going to do this,’” Jaaji said in an interview after the band’s sound check Aug. 16, the last day of the festival.

“I did not stick with it, I completely lost how to play over the next 15 years.” 

Jaaji said he only began pursuing music seriously in 2014, when he was in his early thirties and June was in her late 20s. Chelsea worked for the federal government and was a mom. 

Jaaji returned to Aqpik Jam in 2014 and then two years later, accompanied by June, as a band.

That is why playing in the North always feels like a homecoming, the musicians say. Jaaji lived in Kuujjuaq for multiple years and his two kids are from there. 

June began her career by playing with Jaaji in the Arctic.

“The North is literally what made the band Twin Flames,” she said. Their first show was Puvirnituq Snowfest in 2015. 

This summer, they performed during Iqaluit’s Alianait festival, Nunavut Day in Rankin Inlet and they are set to perform in Sanikiluaq at the end of August.

“This summer has been like a return to the Arctic tour for us,” June joked.

Percussionist, flute-player and singer Chelsey June sings alongside her husband Jaaji. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

“Coming back to a place where people understand the language you are singing in and they know the songs is incredible.”

The band took the stage in Kuujjuaq straight from the Edge of the World festival in British-Columbia after 28 hours of travel.

These long distances make Canada a difficult place to tour, Jaaji said.

“We have not slept in 30 hours,” he said.

Compounding that challenge is the relatively small population scattered across these vast distances. That is why Twin Flames is planning to tour in the United States as well, with concerts in Montana and North Carolina. 

“Unless you cross the border [to the United States] right away, your success has a ceiling,” Jaaji said.

But, Jaaji added, touring Canada and focusing on Indigenous communities remains a priority.

“Showing the youth that you can have a dream, that you can do what you love and put yourself out there I think is very important,” Jaaji said. 

Jaaji and Chelsey June play Aqpik Jam on Aug. 16, to a crowd at the Kuujjuaq Forum. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

According to Jaaji, the duo’s upcoming album includes song with dark tones and rawness.

Hugging the Cactus was recorded in three different studios, one including Studio Bell at the National Music Centre in Calgary, where artists like the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and Neil Young recorded hit albums.

“I even got to play Neil Young’s Nashville guitar on a couple of tracks,” Jaaji said with excitement.

The band has released three singles from the album, including a cover of House of the Rising Sun, a traditional folk song made popular by The Animals in 1964.

Orchestrating production for the album was Juno-award-winning Canadian producer John “Beetle” Bailey. 

Hugging the Cactus is set to be released in October.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the origin of the song House of the Rising Sun.