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Beatrice Deer | |
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 Photo by: Christyna Pelletier | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Style | Folk, pop, rock |
| Website | www |
Beatrice Deer (born 1985) is a Canadian Inuk-Mohawk singer and actress from Quaqtaq, Nunavik, Quebec. [1] She released her debut album, Just Bea, in 2005, and won a Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Best Inuit/Cultural Album. [2] In 2010, she released her self-titled album, Beatrice Deer, and later that same year, she released a Christmas album, An Arctic Christmas .
Acclaimed “Inuindie” pop star Beatrice Deer is a singer-songwriter based in Montreal. Half Inuk and half Mohawk, Beatrice was born and raised in Nunavik, Quebec, in the small village of Quaqtaq. Her award-winning songs are crafted upon deeply personal lyrics and blend indie rock and modern folk with traditional Inuit stories and throat singing. She has released seven studio albums, including her newest, titled Little Songs, a revitalization of traditional Inuit songs for children.
Beatrice Deer sings in three languages: Inuktitut, English, and French. A beloved figure in Arctic Canada, she has performed worldwide, from the Venice Biennale to Norway’s Førde Traditional and World Music Festival to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Her bandmates and collaborators, all longstanding members of Montreal’s music community, have worked with diverse and dynamic musical acts such as Leif Vollebekk, Land of Talk, Stars, The Barr Brothers, Bell Orchestre, Little Scream, The Besnard Lakes, and Suuns.
Her illustrious career is marked by a string of remarkable achievements and accolades that underscore her immense talent and profound impact on the arts community. From winning the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award and the 2019 Indigenous Music Award for Best Folk Album to her co-composition of the musical score for the acclaimed "Giant Bear," which won a 2020 Canadian Screen Award, Beatrice's contributions to music and film are extraordinary. Her stellar trajectory continued with the receipt of the Prism Prize and an appointment as an Apple Ambassador in 2021, alongside her notable appearance as a finalist on Quebec's popular televised talent show, Talents Bleus. Beatrice's compositional prowess reached new heights with her creation of the musical score for "Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice," recognized with multiple awards including IMDB Short Cuts’ Best Canadian Film at TIFF and a shortlisting for an Oscar nomination. Her chart-topping single "UQAUTINNGA" from SHIFTING reached #1 and solidified her status as a prominent figure in the music industry, while in 2023, winning the Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Award for Inuit Artist of the Year further highlights her profound impact.
Beyond her musical talents, Beatrice's exceptional contributions to the arts community were honoured when she was named "Woman of the Year" by The Montreal Council of Women in 2023, alongside her remarkable skill in fashion, as evidenced by her commission to tailor an outfit for the coronation of King Charles by the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon.
A role model to her community and a stalwart advocate for mental health, Beatrice feels strongly that each of us, no matter what we’ve been through, has the ability to transform our personal outlook. Her message, whether shared in song or at speaking engagements, comes from her own lived experience of overcoming countless obstacles. “You can’t be a changemaker if you haven’t gone through it yourself,” Bea says. “You can’t help without healing yourself first. You can’t change what happened; you can only change how you deal with it.” Beatrice's remarkable journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring artists and a testament to the transformative power of creativity and dedication.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "True Angel" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "My Friends" | 2:35 |
| 3. | "Live With It" | 2:59 |
| 4. | "Ilangani" | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Do I" | 4:10 |
| 6. | "Life in the North" | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Sad Song" | 5:12 |
| 8. | "Nalligivagit" | 5:35 |
| 9. | "Nalligivagit (Remix)" | 5:21 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Come With Me" | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Missed You" | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Ilaapik" | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Langasivunga" | 6:00 |
| 5. | "Another Chance Of Hope" | 2:55 |
| 6. | "Nunaga" | 4:18 |
| 7. | "Take Me As I Am" | 4:17 |
| 8. | "Pride" | 4:48 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Competition (feat. Akinisie Sivuarapik)" | 1:17 |
| 2. | "Painng" | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Uvikkaulaukagit" | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Relocation" | 5:19 |
| 5. | "Katatjaniq (feat. Akinisie Sivuarapik)" | 0:29 |
| 6. | "Fox (feat. Johnny Griffin)" | 3:32 |
| 7. | "Pisiq (feat. Louisa Kulula)" | 0:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "1997" | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Takugiursugit" | 3:24 |
| 3. | "My All To You" | 5:22 |
| 4. | "Atungak" | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Sapannga Sujunukua" | 1:32 |
| 6. | "Isumavunga" | 4:43 |
| 7. | "Immutaa" | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Mali" | 3:28 |
| 9. | "Qaujimagit" | 4:37 |
| 10. | "You're With Me" | 3:52 |
| Total length: | 37:44 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "FREE" | 2:47 |
| 2. | "UQAUTINNGA" | 3:00 |
| 3. | "AANNGIQ" | 2:06 |
| 4. | "ILINNUT - a prayer" | 4:13 |
| 5. | "THE STORM" | 2:50 |
| 6. | "SUNAUVVA" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "CANNIBAL" | 2:47 |
| 8. | "HISTORY" | 3:31 |
| 9. | "MOTHER (version française)" | 4:10 |
| 10. | "CHRISTMAS" | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 33:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kinngamiurjuiguuq" | 2:26 |
| 2. | "Sukkasailasami" | 1:34 |
| 3. | "Airqavaakka" | 2:34 |
| 4. | "Uujuq" | 2:34 |
| 5. | "Timmiat" | 3:25 |
| 6. | "Taakkuatakka" | 2:16 |
| 7. | "Taki Taakii" | 2:46 |
| 8. | "Qiturngaajuga" | 1:46 |
| 9. | "Qiarpali" | 2:10 |
| 10. | "Uatapataannaa Uat" | 1:21 |
| 11. | "Tuurngaup Inngirusinga" | 2:01 |
| 12. | "Taakajai" | 2:14 |
| 13. | "Qajauqatiik" | 1:21 |
| 14. | "Tuttujuilluqa" | 3:00 |
| 15. | "Quluppajuittuq" | 2:26 |
| Total length: | 33:56 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tasiulaurluk (Isuarsivik Anthem)" | 4:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ukiungutillugu" | 5:19 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Anaana’s Tent (TV Series) | Performer | ||||
| The Giant Bear | Composer | Award Winner
Award Nominee
| ||||
| 2020 | The Legend of Night and Day | Narrator (Inuktitut) | ||||
| 2021 | Building the Inuit Homeland (TV Series) S1. E4 - A Hundred Generations | Participant | ||||
| Building the Inuit Homeland (TV Series) S1. E5 - Inuit Homebase | Participant | |||||
| 2021 | Adventures on Inuit Land (TV Series) | Director | ||||
| 2022 | Angakuksajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice (2021 TV Short) | Composer | The film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021. It was subsequently named to the initial shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the 94th Academy Awards, and won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022. It also won Best Independent Short Film at the Festival Stop Montreal. | |||
| 2023 | Worlds Of Ice | Narration and Inuit Throat Singing | Award - Best AstronomyDOME UNDER FESTIVAL, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA Award - Best Science Film DOME WEST FEST, L.A., USA | |||
| Tautuktavuk: What We See (Feature Film) | Composer | |||||
| 2024 | Northerned with Beatrice Deer - Ep 1-8 | Podcast Host | ||||
Inuit throat singing, or katajjaq, is a distinct type of throat singing uniquely found among the Inuit. It is a form of musical performance, traditionally consisting of two women who sing duets in a close face-to-face formation with no instrumental accompaniment, in an entertaining contest to see who can outlast the other; however, one of the genre's most famous practitioners, Tanya Tagaq, performs as a solo artist. Several groups, including Tudjaat, The Jerry Cans, Quantum Tangle and Silla + Rise, also now blend traditional throat singing with mainstream musical genres such as pop, folk, rock and dance music.
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Media related to Beatrice Deer at Wikimedia Commons
