Elisapie Isaac (also known simply as Elisapie;
syllabics: ) is a Canadian
Inuk musician, broadcaster, documentary filmmaker, and activist.
She spent her childhood in
Salluit
Salluit ( iu, ᓴᓪᓗᐃᑦ, "the thin ones") is the second northernmost Inuit community in Quebec, Canada, located on Sugluk Inlet close to the Hudson Strait and was formerly known as Sugluk. Its population was 1,483 in the Canada 2016 Census ...
, Nunavik, Quebec, and moved to Montreal in 1999 to pursue communication studies in order to become a journalist.
Biography
Born in
Salluit
Salluit ( iu, ᓴᓪᓗᐃᑦ, "the thin ones") is the second northernmost Inuit community in Quebec, Canada, located on Sugluk Inlet close to the Hudson Strait and was formerly known as Sugluk. Its population was 1,483 in the Canada 2016 Census ...
, Quebec to an Inuk mother and a father from
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
,
["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
Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...
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 Aborigin ...
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
The polar bear (''Ursus m ...
''.
In 2010, Isaac's first solo album, ''There Will Be Stars'', was released by
Pheromone Recordings.
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 ...
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) ...
nomination for Best Original Song at the
2nd Canadian Screen Awards
The 2nd Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 9, 2014, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2013.[The Legend of Sarila
''The Legend of Sarila'' (french: La Légende de Sarila) is a 2013 Canadian computer-animated adventure film and Canada's first 3-D animated feature film.Robert Ito (7 February 2014)"For a Plucky Upstart, Icy Industry Tundra" '' New York Times'' ...]
''. She was nominated for the
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...
for
Indigenous Music Album of the Year in
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
. 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
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory Modality (human–computer interaction), modalities, including visual, Hearing, auditory, hap ...
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
Kangiqsujuaq ( iu, ᑲᖏᕐᓱᔪᐊᖅ) is a northern village (Inuit community) in Nunavik, Nord-du-Québec, Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 837 in the Canada 2021 Census. The community has also been known as Wakeham Bay. The name "Ka ...
, northern Quebec, looks at the changing lifestyles of Inuit in
Nunavik
Nunavik (; ; iu, ᓄᓇᕕᒃ) comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the I ...
. 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 ...
.
It is included in the 2011 Inuit film anthology '' Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories''.
Personal life
Isaac dated actor Patrice Robitaille 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
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
1977 births
Living people
Canadian documentary film directors
Canadian Folk Music Award winners
Canadian Inuit women
Canadian women documentary filmmakers
Canadian women film directors
Canadian women pop singers
Félix Award winners
Film directors from Quebec
Inuit filmmakers
Inuit from Quebec
Inuit musicians
Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year winners
People from Nunavik
Singers from Quebec
21st-century Canadian women singers