Lucie Idlout (born Tatanniq Lucie d'Argencourt, 1972/1973) is a Canadian singer/songwriter from

Iqaluit Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its t ...

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

. She is the daughter of Leah Idlout-Paulson and granddaughter of

Joseph Idlout Joseph Idlout (1912/1913 - 2 June 1968) is an Inuk featured on the former Canadian two-dollar bill. When the High Arctic relocation occurred in 1959, Idlout helped Inuit families adjust to their new surroundings in Resolute, Northwest Territori ...

. After the release of several EPs, Idlout's first full-length album, ''E5-770, My Mother’s Name'', hit the streets in 2004. The title, a homage to her mother, was directed at the Canadian government's dark history of identifying

Inuit 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 ...

disc number Disc numbers, or ujamiit or ujamik in the Inuit language, were used by the Government of Canada in lieu of surnames for Inuit and were similar to dog tags. Prior to the arrival of European customs, Inuit had no need of family names, and children ...

s instead of their names. E5-770 was the disc number issued to her mother. The government policy was instituted in 1944 but ran from 1941 - 1978. Her song "Birthday", off of the same album, appeared in Dan Birman's ''

Crime Spree ''Crime Spree'' is a 2003 Canadian-British comedy- heist thriller film, written and directed by Brad Mirman, starring Gérard Depardieu, Harvey Keitel and French singers Johnny Hallyday and Renaud. The fish out of water film concerns a band of ...

'', starring

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

and

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...

. Though she had already garnered national and international attention, it was when she opened for

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...

at their concert in her hometown of

on June 27, 2007, that the media began to truly take notice. Her second album, '' Swagger'', was released in February 2009. The album includes "Lovely Irene", which was later reworked with a children's choir from Iqaluit and renamed "Angel Street". The song inspired Iqaluit Mayor

Elisapee Sheutiapik Elisapee Sheutiapik is a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Iqaluit, Nunavut, from 2003 to 2010, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in the 2017 general election. Mayoralty She won the mayoral election in 2003, def ...

to launch a campaign to call attention to the issue of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

in Canada by asking Canadian cities to name a city street Angel. As of 2014, cities that have named Angel Streets as part of the campaign included Iqaluit, St. John's,

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Regina,

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...

and

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...

. In fall 2009, she recorded a new song, "Road to Nowhere", for the ''

Great Canadian Song Quest ''Great Canadian Song Quest'' is a Canadian songwriting contest, presented by CBC Music. The competition has been presented in three editions to date, in 2009, 2010 and 2013. 2009 edition For the inaugural installation of Great Canadian Song Quest ...

'' on

CBC Radio 2 CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

. She has since written the score for renowned filmmaker

Zacharias Kunuk Zacharias Kunuk ( iu, ᓴᖅᑲᓕᐊᓯ ᑯᓄᒃ, born November 27, 1957) is a Canadian Inuk producer and director most notable for his film '' Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner'', the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced entirely in Inu ...

's film ''Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change'', as well as music for several television shows. In 2012, Idlout guest starred as a lesbian throat singer in CBC's ''

Arctic Air ''Arctic Air'' is a Canadian drama television series that began airing on CBC Television on January 10, 2012. The series was canceled on March 17, 2014, due to government budgetary cuts. Synopsis ''Arctic Air'' is about a Yellowknife-based m ...

''. Filmmaker

Shane Belcourt Shane Anthony Belcourt (born December 30, 1972) is a Métis writer, director, and cinematographer from Canada.Jennie Punter, "'I didn't have time to filter'". ''The Globe and Mail'', August 14, 2008. He is best known for his 2007 feature film '' ...

also cited Idlout, a close friend of his sister

Christi Christi is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Christi Belcourt (born 1966), Métis painter, craftsperson, and writer * Christi Brereton (born 1992), English kickboxer and muay Thai fighter * Christi Lake (born 1965), Am ...

, as an influence on the themes of his 2007 film ''

Tkaronto ''Tkaronto'' is a Canadian drama film, which premiered in 2007 at the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival in Toronto. Directed by Shane Belcourt, the film went into commercial release in the summer of 2008.Jennie Punter"'I didn't have time ...

''. In 2017, she appeared in

Alan Zweig Alan Zweig is a Canadian documentary filmmaker known for often using film to explore his own life. Early life Alan Zweig was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and has worked in the film industry as a writer, producer, director, driver, and a ...

's documentary film '' There Is a House Here''."Trailer for Alan Zweig’s TIFF-bound ‘There is a House Here’"
''POV'', August 15, 2017.

Discography

* ''E5-770, My Mother’s Name'' (2004) * '' Swagger'' (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Idlout, Lucie 1970s births Canadian women rock singers Inuit musicians People from Iqaluit Canadian Inuit women Living people Musicians from Nunavut Year of birth missing (living people) Inuit from the Northwest Territories Inuit from Nunavut