Elisapie Shares Metallica Cover 'Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)'

Elisapie surprises us with “Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven),” an emotionally charged adaptation of Metallica's “The Unforgiven,” first shared via Rolling Stone.

This is the third single off Inuktitut, Elisapie’s upcoming album, out via Bonsound on September 15th, 2023. On this National Indigenous People’s Day, Elisapie will receive an honorary degree from Concordia University for her Inuktitut artistry and activism. She also produced and participated in the TV special Le grand solstice, which will be broadcast tonight.

Following the release of the singles “Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)” and “Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time),” Elisapie’s new song pays tribute to the Inuit men of her community. It is also a nod to the time she interviewed Kirk Hammett from Metallica in the early 90s:

“When I was 14 years old, I applied for a job at TNI, the first Inuit TV-radio broadcaster, and I was thrilled when I was chosen for the position! Everyone at the station dreamed big, and they put in a request for an interview with Metallica. The band was so loved in Salluit that we had to give it a shot. Metallica accepted only two interviews on their Québec tour, and TNI was chosen. In my boys' eyes, I was the coolest!

As a teenager, I only wanted to hang around the gang of boys in my village. We would all go to my cousin's house and smoke weed while listening to Metallica. The band's music allowed us to delve into the darkness of our broken souls and feel good there.

Men's roles in our territory had been challenged by colonization, and it had become confusing what life was supposed to look like for a man. My boys were seeking new roles, and subconsciously, I allowed them to be my bodyguards so they could feel strong. Looking back, I was trying to give them the strength to find their place.

‘Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)’ incorporates throat singing, known as katajjaq in Inuktitut. It felt like katajjaq was so appropriate, says Elisapie. It is Inuit women who throat sing. Inuit women, mothers and grandmothers had to be the nurturing ones during the hard times, as men were struggling emotionally due to colonialism. Through this song, I wanted the feminine strength to balance the men's challenges.”

Elisapie's new song is accompanied by a breathtaking music video directed by Philippe Léonard. It was shot in Nunavik aboard a canoe, using a camera attached to the end of a pole, like a fishing rod. “The footage oscillates between the emerald seabed bursting with light and the deep blue sky, which makes the sensual silhouettes of the tundra mountains stand out,” explains the director.

Inuktitut is Elisapie’s fourth solo album. With these 10 covers of classic rock and pop songs from the 60s to the 90s, she reinvigorates their poetry thanks to the raw sounds of the thousand-year-old Inuit language and gives each track a unique and deeply personal quality. Every song from the album is linked to a loved one or an intimate story that has shaped the person Elisapie is today.

Through this act of cultural reappropriation, she tells her story and offers these songs as a gift to her community, making her language and culture resonate beyond the borders of the Inuit territory.

Elisapie will be taking her new album to the stage on a 50-date tour. In addition to her regular tour, there will be five performances of Uvattini, a special live show presented exclusively at Usine C and the Grand Théâtre de Québec. Additional dates have been announced for December 9th in Montreal and December 21st in Quebec City.

This summer, Elisapie will also travel to Salluit and Kuujjuaq to premiere her new show. More concerts are scheduled in France in November 2023 and February 2024. Visit elisapie.com for more details.

Photo Credit: Leeor Wild

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