In April, Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie announced that she would be releasing an album called Inuktitut consisting of reimagined covers of classic rock and pop songs translated into the Inuit language, Inuktitut. Today she shares "Isumagijunnaitaungituq," her version of Metallica's "The Unforgiven."
The song pays tribute to the men of her community and her teenage love of Metallica.
She said in a press release: "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."
"Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)" incorporates a form of throat singing called katajjaq, which Elisapie said felt appropriate as it was performed by the women of her community to give the men strength when they "were struggling emotionally due to colonialism."
"Through this song, I wanted the feminine strength to balance the men's challenges," she said.
Check out the stunning music video for "Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)," directed by Philippe Léonard, below. This is the third single she has shared from her upcoming album following "Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)" and "Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time)." The album will arrive via Bonsound on September 15.
Elisapie has also added new Montreal and Quebec City dates to her upcoming tour. See the full schedule below.
Elisapie 2023–2024 Tour Dates:
06/28 Salluit, QC - Salluit Spring Music Festival
08/16 Kuujjuaq, QC - Aqpik Jam Music festival
10/06 Val-Morin, QC - Théâtre du Marais
11/07 Château Arnoux, FR - Théâtre Durance
11/09 Saint-Malo, FR - La Nouvelle Vague
11/10 Brest, FR - Cabaret Vauban
11/16 Nantes, FR - Trempo
12/07 Montréal, QC - Usine C
12/08 Montréal, QC - Usine C
12/09 Montréal, QC - Usine C
12/20 Québec City, QC - Salle Louis-Fréchette - Grand Théâtre de Québec
12/21 Québec City, QC - Salle Louis-Fréchette - Grand Théâtre de Québec
01/18 Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC - Salle Albert-Dumouchel
01/19 Brossard, QC - Le Club DIX30
01/20 Sherbrooke, QC - Théâtre Granada
01/24 Joliette, QC - Centre culturel Desjardins
01/25 Gatineau, QC - Salle Jean-Despréz
01/26 Chambly, QC - Pôle culturel de Chambly
01/27 Châteauguay, QC - Pavillon de l'Île
01/31 Longueuil, QC - Théâtre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney Canada
02/01 Mont-Laurier, QC - Espace Théâtre Muni-Spec
02/02 Saint-Jérôme, QC - Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault
02/07 Drummondville, QC - Maison des arts Desjardins
02/08 Victoriaville, QC - Carré 150 - Cabaret Guy-Aubert
02/09 Sorel-Tracy, QC - Salle Georges-Codling
02/10 Waterloo, QC - Maison de la culture de Waterloo
02/15 Saint-Eustache, QC - Le Zénith Promutuel Assurance
02/16 Mont-Tremblant, QC - L'Église du Village
02/17 Sainte-Geneviève, QC - Salle Pauline-Julien
02/22 Repentigny, QC - Théâtre Alphonse-Desjardins
02/23 Shawinigan, QC - Salle Philippe-Filion
02/24 Laval, QC - Salle André-Mathieu
03/01 Lévis, QC - L'Anglicane
03/02 Thetford-Mines, QC - Le Vitrail
03/27 Ottawa, ON - Azrieli Studio - National Arts Centre
03/28 Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall
04/04 Annecy, FR - Le Brise Glace
04/06 Guyancourt, FR - La Batterie
04/12 Figeac, FR - L'Astrolabe
04/13 Cenon, FR - Le Rocher de Palmer
05/02 Lachine, QC - L'Entrepôt
05/09 Val-d'Or, QC - Théâtre Télébec
05/10 La Sarre, QC - Salle Desjardins
05/11 Ville-Marie, QC - Théâtre du Rift
11/14 Terrebonne, QC - Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne
11/15 Saint Damien, QC - Maison de la culture de Bellechasse
11/16 Saint-Casimir, QC - Les Grands Bois
11/21 Sainte-Thérèse, QC - Théâtre Lionel-Groulx
11/22 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC - Théâtre Le Patriote
11/23 LaSalle, QC - Théâtre Desjardins
11/29 Saint-Hyacinthe, QC - Centre des arts Juliette-Lassonde
11/30 Trois-Rivières, QC - Salle Anaïs-Allard-Rousseau
The song pays tribute to the men of her community and her teenage love of Metallica.
She said in a press release: "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."
"Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)" incorporates a form of throat singing called katajjaq, which Elisapie said felt appropriate as it was performed by the women of her community to give the men strength when they "were struggling emotionally due to colonialism."
"Through this song, I wanted the feminine strength to balance the men's challenges," she said.
Check out the stunning music video for "Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)," directed by Philippe Léonard, below. This is the third single she has shared from her upcoming album following "Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)" and "Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time)." The album will arrive via Bonsound on September 15.
Elisapie has also added new Montreal and Quebec City dates to her upcoming tour. See the full schedule below.
Elisapie 2023–2024 Tour Dates:
06/28 Salluit, QC - Salluit Spring Music Festival
08/16 Kuujjuaq, QC - Aqpik Jam Music festival
10/06 Val-Morin, QC - Théâtre du Marais
11/07 Château Arnoux, FR - Théâtre Durance
11/09 Saint-Malo, FR - La Nouvelle Vague
11/10 Brest, FR - Cabaret Vauban
11/16 Nantes, FR - Trempo
12/07 Montréal, QC - Usine C
12/08 Montréal, QC - Usine C
12/09 Montréal, QC - Usine C
12/20 Québec City, QC - Salle Louis-Fréchette - Grand Théâtre de Québec
12/21 Québec City, QC - Salle Louis-Fréchette - Grand Théâtre de Québec
01/18 Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC - Salle Albert-Dumouchel
01/19 Brossard, QC - Le Club DIX30
01/20 Sherbrooke, QC - Théâtre Granada
01/24 Joliette, QC - Centre culturel Desjardins
01/25 Gatineau, QC - Salle Jean-Despréz
01/26 Chambly, QC - Pôle culturel de Chambly
01/27 Châteauguay, QC - Pavillon de l'Île
01/31 Longueuil, QC - Théâtre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney Canada
02/01 Mont-Laurier, QC - Espace Théâtre Muni-Spec
02/02 Saint-Jérôme, QC - Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault
02/07 Drummondville, QC - Maison des arts Desjardins
02/08 Victoriaville, QC - Carré 150 - Cabaret Guy-Aubert
02/09 Sorel-Tracy, QC - Salle Georges-Codling
02/10 Waterloo, QC - Maison de la culture de Waterloo
02/15 Saint-Eustache, QC - Le Zénith Promutuel Assurance
02/16 Mont-Tremblant, QC - L'Église du Village
02/17 Sainte-Geneviève, QC - Salle Pauline-Julien
02/22 Repentigny, QC - Théâtre Alphonse-Desjardins
02/23 Shawinigan, QC - Salle Philippe-Filion
02/24 Laval, QC - Salle André-Mathieu
03/01 Lévis, QC - L'Anglicane
03/02 Thetford-Mines, QC - Le Vitrail
03/27 Ottawa, ON - Azrieli Studio - National Arts Centre
03/28 Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall
04/04 Annecy, FR - Le Brise Glace
04/06 Guyancourt, FR - La Batterie
04/12 Figeac, FR - L'Astrolabe
04/13 Cenon, FR - Le Rocher de Palmer
05/02 Lachine, QC - L'Entrepôt
05/09 Val-d'Or, QC - Théâtre Télébec
05/10 La Sarre, QC - Salle Desjardins
05/11 Ville-Marie, QC - Théâtre du Rift
11/14 Terrebonne, QC - Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne
11/15 Saint Damien, QC - Maison de la culture de Bellechasse
11/16 Saint-Casimir, QC - Les Grands Bois
11/21 Sainte-Thérèse, QC - Théâtre Lionel-Groulx
11/22 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC - Théâtre Le Patriote
11/23 LaSalle, QC - Théâtre Desjardins
11/29 Saint-Hyacinthe, QC - Centre des arts Juliette-Lassonde
11/30 Trois-Rivières, QC - Salle Anaïs-Allard-Rousseau