Iva and Angu are a Canadian musical duo from Nunavut who perform Inuit throat singing. [1] The duo, consisting of Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt and Charlotte Qamaniq, released the album Katajjausiit in 2022, and received a Juno Award nomination for Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023. [2] In 2024, they participated in Pan-ArcticVision in Nuuk, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), and through a public vote received the price for the Most Arctic Song. [3]
Merritt has previously performed as a collaborator with The Jerry Cans, Ptarmigan and Riit, [4] while Qamaniq has performed with Keiino and Silla + Rise. [5]
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.
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.
The music of Greenland is a mixture of two primary strands, Inuit and Danish, mixed with influences from the United States and United Kingdom.
Traditional Inuit music, the music of the Inuit, Yupik, and Iñupiat, has been based on drums used in dance music as far back as can be known, and a vocal style called katajjaq has become of interest in Canada and abroad.
Tudjaat were Madeleine Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk, two Inuit women from Nunavut, Canada who are known for their recordings and performances of traditional Inuit throat singing.
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.
Nunavut is the largest, easternmost, 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 self-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.
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.
Flying Down Thunder and Rise Ashen are a Canadian electronic music duo based in Ottawa, Ontario, who blend electronic house music with traditional First Nations music. Their album One Nation was a shortlisted Juno Award nominee for Aboriginal Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2012.
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".
Silla + Rise were a Canadian musical group based in Ottawa. Their album Debut was a Juno Award nominee for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2017. Their album Galactic Gala was nominated for World Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.
Quantum Tangle are a Juno Award-winning Canadian musical group who combine traditional Inuit throat singing and spoken word storytelling with blues-influenced folk rock, consisting of vocalist Tiffany Ayalik, Kayley Inuksuk Mackay as drummer, vocalist and throat singer, and singer and guitarist G. R. Gritt.
Kelly Fraser 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.
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.
David Qajaakuttuk Qamaniq is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the district of Tununiq in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in a by-election on September 16, 2019. Prior to his election to the legislature, he was a mayor of Pond Inlet; he ran in the same district in a 2011 by-election, the 2013 Nunavut general election and the 2017 Nunavut general election, losing each time to Joe Enook, and was elected in the by-election following Enook's death in office.
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.
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.
Elisapee Ootoova was an Inuit elder who preserved and promoted Inuit traditional knowledge.
Cikwes is the stage name of Connie LeGrande, a Cree musician from Canada. She is most noted as a Juno Award nominee for Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023 for her 2022 album Kâkîsimo ᑳᑮᓯᒧᐤ.
Pan-ArcticVision is an international social and cultural event that describes itself as "a Eurovision for the Arctic". Pan-ArcticVision has live musical contributions from the circumpolar North, and arranges televotes among the public. The event is broadcast internationally, and is loosely modeled on the well known Eurovision song contest.