Elisapie Isaac (also known simply as Elisapie; syllabics: ) is a Canadian
Inuk
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...
musician, broadcaster, documentary filmmaker, and activist. She spent her childhood in Salluit, Nunavik, Quebec, and moved to Montreal in 1999 to pursue communication studies in order to become a journalist.
Biography
Born in Salluit, Quebec to an Inuk mother and a father from Newfoundland,"Elisapie Isaac to play Iqaluit at month’s end" ''Nunatsiaq Online'', March 8, 2010. she performed at age twelve with the Salluit band Sugluk. Isaac collaborated with instrumentalist Alain Auger in the musical project Taima ( Inuktitut for "that's all" or "it is done") in the early 2000s. The band's sole album, ''Taima'', won the
Juno Award for Aboriginal Recording of the Year
The Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album by an Indigenous Canadian artist or band. It was formerly known as Best Music of Aborigi ...
in 2005. In 2006, Isaac wrote lyrics for songs composed by
Bruno Coulais
Bruno Coulais (born 13 January 1954) is a French composer, most widely known for his music on film soundtracks.
Life and career
Coulais was born in Paris; his father, Farth Coulais, is from Vendée, and his mother, Bernsy Coulais, was born in ...
for the film ''
The White Planet
''The White Planet'' or in French, ''La Planète Blanche'', is a 2006 documentary about the wildlife of the Arctic.
It shows interactions between marine animals, birds and land animals, especially the polar bear, over a one-year period. The fragi ...
''.
In 2010, Isaac's first solo album, ''There Will Be Stars'', was released by
Pheromone Recordings
Cadence Music Group, formerly MapleCore Ltd., is a music company founded in 1999 and located in Toronto, Canada. Cadence Music Group has multiple divisions, five record labels Cadence Recordings, Open Road Recordings, Pheromone Recordings, Physi ...
. On the album, she sings in English, French, and Inuktitut. Her second solo album, ''Travelling Love'', was released in October 2012 under the name Elisapie. During the Juno Awards, she was mistakenly nominated as Breakthrough Artist of the Year, before it was revealed that she had been a Juno winner in 2005; the nomination was rescinded and given to
Shawn Hook
Shawn Hlookoff (born September 5, 1984), known as Shawn Hook, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and producer.
Career
Hook studied piano through the Royal Conservatory from as early as age 4. In high school, he played piano and trombone in a ja ...
instead. She garnered a
Canadian Screen Award
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
for ''The Ballad of the Runaway Girl''. In July 2019, the album was shortlisted for the
2019 Polaris Music Prize The 2019 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 16, 2019.
. This album again contained lyrics in English, French, and Inuktitut.
Isaac has an extensive background in media production as well. When asked about her work in this medium in relation to her music, she has stated "I really believe that communication and radio was really a place for me to express my inner creativity, and I love that medium. And it has helped me to be a little more aware, especially when I have to be doing interviews and have a larger vision of my work than just the artiste point of view".
In 2021, Isaac was announced to have landed her first acting role, in C.S. Roy's forthcoming augmented reality film, ''V F C''.
''If the Weather Permits''
Isaac's 2003
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
documentary ''If the Weather Permits'', filmed in Kangiqsujuaq, northern Quebec, looks at the changing lifestyles of Inuit in Nunavik. The film received several awards, including the Claude Jutra Award for best new director at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, and the Rigoberta Menchu Prize at the
First Peoples' Festival
Terres en Vues/Land InSights is a Montreal-based association that promotes Indigenous cultures and encourages intercultural communication by drawing attention to First Peoples' artistic and cultural creations in various media, such as: films and ...
Patrice Robitaille
Patrice Robitaille (born 1974) is a Canadian actor and screenwriter. He is most noted as cowriter with Jean-Philippe Pearson and Ricardo Trogi of the film '' Québec-Montréal'' (2002), for which they won the Jutra Award for Best Screenplay at ...
from 2003 to 2011. In 2006, she gave birth to a daughter, named Lili-Alacie. She also has a son, born in 2014. In February 2018, she revealed that she was pregnant with her third child, a boy.
Awards and nominations
Discography
Taima
* ''Taima'' (2004)
Solo
* ''There Will Be Stars'' (2010)
* ''Travelling Love'' (2012)
* ''The Ballad of the Runaway Girl'' (2018)
* ''Eaux turbulentes'' (2020) - television soundtrack, with Frédéric Levac