Ahead of debuting a new stage show later this year, Elisapie has shared an Inuktitut rendition of a Blondie classic.
"Uummati Attanarsimat" sees the Inuk artist translate Debbie Harry and co.'s 1979 smash "Heart of Glass" and treat it to a much warmer, folk-oriented arrangement.
You can hear her take alongside a Philippe Léonard-directed video below, cut together using archival Super 8 footage shot in Northern Quebec from the Avataq Cultural Institute and the Mary & Bill Cowley Collection.
In a statement, Elisapie shares how Blondie's original song is at the heart of a treasured childhood memory:
My adoptive mother was from the small village of Ivujivik. It was a 30 minute plane ride from my village. We would often go there to visit her family. Once we arrived in Ivujivik, my parents would go gambling at some random cousin's house. I would later have mixed feelings towards their gambling addiction. But not back then.
Back then, it meant the children were free to do whatever they pleased. The older kids were the ones who ran the show and they knew how to throw a party. When I was around 5 or 6 years old, I remember one particular night when they put "Heart of Glass" on. They all started dancing like crazy. I watched their joy with such admiration. I couldn't believe I got to stay up so late. I felt so loved by my maniacal babysitters. They laughed at me and swung me around. They treated me like the most beautiful doll. When this song comes on, I am back in that wonderful small dance hall of sorts with my big cousins.
And even though it was a tiny venue, in a tiny village, isolated from the rest of the world, in my mind, it still was the wildest crowded dance floor, in the coolest, most dynamic discotheque in the world.
Elisapie has also announced a trio of Quebec performance dates for December 2023, marking the debut of new live show Uvattini. Directed by Emilie Monnet, Uvattini — which means "home" in Inuktitut — combines music, narration, video and performance for an embodiment of "the Inuit identity and the cultural significance of their territory."
The artist's most recent studio album remains 2018's award-winning The Ballad of the Runaway Girl.
Elisapie 2023 Tour Dates:
12/07 Montreal, QC - Usine C (Uvattini)
12/08 Montreal, QC - Usine C (Uvattini)
12/21 Quebec City, QC - Grand Théâtre de Québec (Uvattini)
"Uummati Attanarsimat" sees the Inuk artist translate Debbie Harry and co.'s 1979 smash "Heart of Glass" and treat it to a much warmer, folk-oriented arrangement.
You can hear her take alongside a Philippe Léonard-directed video below, cut together using archival Super 8 footage shot in Northern Quebec from the Avataq Cultural Institute and the Mary & Bill Cowley Collection.
In a statement, Elisapie shares how Blondie's original song is at the heart of a treasured childhood memory:
My adoptive mother was from the small village of Ivujivik. It was a 30 minute plane ride from my village. We would often go there to visit her family. Once we arrived in Ivujivik, my parents would go gambling at some random cousin's house. I would later have mixed feelings towards their gambling addiction. But not back then.
Back then, it meant the children were free to do whatever they pleased. The older kids were the ones who ran the show and they knew how to throw a party. When I was around 5 or 6 years old, I remember one particular night when they put "Heart of Glass" on. They all started dancing like crazy. I watched their joy with such admiration. I couldn't believe I got to stay up so late. I felt so loved by my maniacal babysitters. They laughed at me and swung me around. They treated me like the most beautiful doll. When this song comes on, I am back in that wonderful small dance hall of sorts with my big cousins.
And even though it was a tiny venue, in a tiny village, isolated from the rest of the world, in my mind, it still was the wildest crowded dance floor, in the coolest, most dynamic discotheque in the world.
Elisapie has also announced a trio of Quebec performance dates for December 2023, marking the debut of new live show Uvattini. Directed by Emilie Monnet, Uvattini — which means "home" in Inuktitut — combines music, narration, video and performance for an embodiment of "the Inuit identity and the cultural significance of their territory."
The artist's most recent studio album remains 2018's award-winning The Ballad of the Runaway Girl.
Elisapie 2023 Tour Dates:
12/07 Montreal, QC - Usine C (Uvattini)
12/08 Montreal, QC - Usine C (Uvattini)
12/21 Quebec City, QC - Grand Théâtre de Québec (Uvattini)