Kelly Fraser

Last updated

Kelly Fraser
Kelly Fraser and her band The Easy Four.jpg
Kelly Fraser and her band The Easy Four around 2013
Background information
BornAugust 8, 1993
Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada
DiedDecember 24, 2019(2019-12-24) (aged 26)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Genres
  • Inuit Traditional
  • pop
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active2010–2019
LabelsHitmakerz
Website https://www.kellyfrasermusic.com/

Kelly Fraser (August 8, 1993 – December 24, 2019) [1] was a Canadian Inuk pop singer and songwriter, whose second album, Sedna, received a Juno Award nomination for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018. [2]

Contents

Life and career

Born in Igloolik, Nunavut Fraser moved with her family at a young age to Sanikiluaq. [1] She was educated at Nunavut Sivuniksavut in Ottawa before completing an indigenous studies program at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in British Columbia. [3] Nunavut Sivuniksavut launched in 1985 and is Canada's oldest and first Inuit post-secondary program, [4] where Inuit youth learn about the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. [5]

Kelly Fraser and her band on stage around 2013 Kelly Fraser and her band on stage.jpg
Kelly Fraser and her band on stage around 2013

Fraser first attracted widespread attention in 2013 with a series of Inuktitut covers of pop songs, most notably Rihanna's "Diamonds", on YouTube. [6] She released her debut album, Isuma, in 2014. [6] Her songs include Inuktitut and English language, and musically, combine contemporary pop with traditional Inuit sounds. [6] Fraser was dedicated to sharing Inuit culture with a widespread audience and raising awareness of present-day issues and Inuit rights; many of these themes feature heavily in her music. [7] [8] Her producer reported that she was working on another album, to be called Decolonize, when she died; [6] [9] crowdfunding for the album was underway at that time. [6]

Fraser died at her home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on December 24, 2019, by suicide. According to her family she had suffered through "childhood traumas, racism and persistent cyberbullying". [6] Several candlelight vigils in her honour were held at The Forks on January 4 and at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt, British Columbia. [6] [10]

Discography

Isuma

Fraser's first album, released in June 2014, was recorded with her band mates from Sanikiluaq, with seven original and three cover songs. The title means 'think'. [11]

Sedna

Sedna was released on February 25, 2017, by Nunavut's Hitmakerz record label. [3] [12] The title of the album, known as ᓄᓕᐊᔪᒃ (Nuliaju) in Inuktitut, refers to the story of Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea, which Fraser decided to modernize in this album. [9] She said, "The goal of the album is to help heal those suffering from the effects of colonization, including the damaging effects of residential school and forced relocation. There is a great need for Inuit artists to directly speak to those affected from the past." [12]

The album included the song 'Fight for the Right', released as part of the 'no' campaign in the 2016 Nunavut municipal land referendum, which asked voters whether they were willing to allow municipal lands to be sold. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Aglukark</span> Canadian singer

Susan Aglukark,, is a Canadian singer whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a major recording star in Canada. Her most successful song/single is "O Siem", which reached No. 1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995. Overall, she has released seven studio albums and has won three Juno Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Tagaq</span> Canadian Inuk throat singer

Tanya Tagaq, also credited as Tagaq, is a Canadian Inuk throat singer, songwriter, novelist, actor, and visual artist from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq), Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island.

Jose Kusugak was an Inuk politician from Repulse Bay, Northwest Territories, Canada. He is an activist for Inuit rights, language and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nunavut</span> Territory of Canada

Nunavut is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, which provided this territory to the Inuit for independent government. The boundaries had been drawn in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's political map in half a century since the province of Newfoundland was admitted in 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isuma</span> Production company

Isuma is an artist collective and Canada's first Inuit-owned (75%) production company, co-founded by Zacharias Kunuk, Paul Apak Angilirq and Norman Cohn in Igloolik, Nunavut in 1990. Known internationally for its award-winning film, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in the Inuktitut language, Isuma was selected to represent Canada at the 2019 Venice Biennale where they screened the film One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk, the first presentation of art by Inuit in the Canada Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisapie</span> Canadian musician

Elisapie Isaac is a Canadian Inuk musician, broadcaster, documentary filmmaker, activist, and actress. She spent her childhood in Salluit, Nunavik, Quebec, and moved to Montreal in 1999 to pursue communication studies in order to become a journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Aariak</span> Canadian Inuk politician

Eva Qamaniq Aariaka is a Canadian Inuk politician, who was elected in the 2008 territorial election to represent the electoral district of Iqaluit East in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. She was subsequently chosen as the second premier of Nunavut, under the territory's consensus government system, on November 14, 2008. Aariak was the fifth woman to serve as a premier in Canada.

Paul Aarulaaq Quassa is a Canadian politician who served as the fourth premier of Nunavut from November 2017 to June 2018. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, representing Aggu from 2013 until 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alethea Arnaquq-Baril</span> Canadian Inuk filmmaker

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril is an Inuk filmmaker, known for her work on Inuit life and culture. She is the owner of Unikkaat Studios, a production company in Iqaluit, which produces Inuktitut films. She was awarded the Canadian Meritorious Service Cross, in 2017 in recognition of her work as an activist and filmmaker. She currently works part-time at the Qanak Collective, a social project which supports Inuit empowerment initiatives.

The Jerry Cans are a band from Iqaluit, Nunavut who combine traditional Inuit throat singing with folk music and country rock. Their music is largely written in Inuktitut, the indigenous language of the Inuit, with lyrics which "reflect the challenges and beauty of life in the Far North". Their 2016 album, Inuusiq/Life, was released on Aakuluk Music, Nunavut's first record label, which the band's members established in 2016 "to support Inuit and Indigenous musicians".

Lucy Tulugarjuk is an Inuit actress, throat singer, and director. She is executive director for the Nunavut Independent Television Network.

Aluki Kotierk is an Inuk politician. She was born in Iqaluit, Nunavut, but grew up in Igloolik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Issaluk</span> Inuk actor, athlete, and cultural educator

Johnny Nurraq Seotaituq Issaluk is an Inuk actor, athlete, and cultural educator from Nunavut. He is best known for his roles in AMC's The Terror, the film Indian Horse, and in the BBC program The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. In May 2019 he was named Royal Canadian Geographical Society's Explorer-in-Residence.

Riit (ᕇᑦ) is the stage name of Rita Claire Mike-Murphy, a Canadian Inuk musician and television personality from Pangnirtung, Nunavut who is most noted as the host of APTN's children's series Anaana's Tent.

Celina Kalluk is a Canadian Inuk artist. She creates and performs in several mediums, notably the tradition of Inuit throat singing. In addition to her work as a musician, Kalluk has also worked as an actress, educator, and a children's author, publishing her debut work in 2014.

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq is a Canadian activist and former politician who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Nunavut in the House of Commons from 2019 to 2021.

Colleen Aasiva Nakashuk, better known by her stage name Aasiva, is a Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter and educator. Her style of indie folk music features the ukulele, Inuktitut lyrics, and Inuit throat singing.

Terry Uyarak is an Inuk singer-songwriter from Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada, whose debut album Nunarjua Isulinginniani was released in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Kakuktinniq</span> Canadian Inuk fashion designer

Victoria Kakuktinniq is a Canadian Inuk fashion designer from Nunavut. Under her label Victoria's Arctic Fashion, Kakuktinniq hand-stitches clothing such as parkas, kamiit, and other accessories. Her work has been described as a major influence in contemporary Inuit fashion. Kakuktinniq has described her work as a means of preserving Inuit traditional skills of sewing and clothing production, which has historically been a significant aspect of Inuit culture. In particular, she advocates for handmade fur garments as sustainable fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P.J. Akeeagok</span> Canadian politician

Pauloosie Jamesie Akeeagok, commonly, and officially known, as P.J. Akeeagok, is a Canadian Inuk politician who in 2021 became the sixth and current premier of Nunavut. He was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in the 2021 Nunavut general election. He represents the electoral district of Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu.

References

  1. 1 2 Sinclair, Niigaan (December 27, 2019). "Powerful singer brought Inuit culture to world". Winnipeg Free Press . Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  2. "Juno nominations shine a light on Nunavut performers". Nunatsiaq News. February 6, 2018. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Rogers, Sarah (April 20, 2017). "Nunavut pop star's new album is heavy on beats, rhymes and life". Nunatsiaq News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  4. Murray, Nick (March 14, 2019). "'Slap in the face': Nunavut government cuts funding to Inuit college". cbc.ca. CBC News . Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  5. "About Us - History of NS". Nunavut Sivuniksavut. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Elliott, Josh K. (December 30, 2019). "Inuk singer Kelly Fraser died by suicide amid 'hard' fight with PTSD, family says". Global News . Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  7. Blake, Emily (September 30, 2018). "Indspire winner Kelly Fraser has a lot to say". CBC News . Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  8. Alhmidi, Maan (December 29, 2019). "Inuit musician Kelly Fraser remembered for her advocacy, energy and passion". The Globe and Mail .
  9. 1 2 "How Kelly Fraser is revitalizing Inuktitut with Rihanna". New Fire. CBC Radio. August 14, 2017.
  10. Lirette, Dominika (January 10, 2020). "'She was such a bright light': Former classmates, teachers at B.C. school honour life of Kelly Fraser". CBC. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  11. "Nunavut's Kelly Fraser releases first CD, 'Isuma'". CBC News. June 10, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2024..
  12. 1 2 "Kelly Fraser Music". kellyfrasermusic.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  13. LeTourneau, Michele (May 6, 2017). "Sanikiluaq singer releases second album". Nunavut News . Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  14. Zerehi, Sima Sahar (May 7, 2016). "What a 'yes' vote means in Monday's Nunavut Land Referendum". CBC News . Retrieved May 28, 2024.