An introduction to Elisapie's stunning Polaris-shortlisted album, Inuktitut

Elisapie's fourth studio album, Inuktitut, is one of this year's 10 Polaris Music Prize-nominated albums, and CBC Music's Shortlist Shortcut series is back to help music fans learn the key details about each shortlisted record.

Dig into the stories behind the Montreal-based, Salluit-raised singer-songwriter's album, the tracks you need to know, and the perfect summer activities to complement your listening. 

You can also listen to The Ten radio special on Inuktitut here.

Artist:

Elisapie.

Album:

Inuktitut.

Polaris Music Prize history:

This is Elisapie's second time on the Polaris short list: her 2018 album, The Ballad of the Runaway Girl, was shortlisted in 2019 (that prize ultimately went to Haviah Mighty). 

Notable players:

Elisapie teamed up with frequent collaborator/co-producer/guitarist Joe Grass for the album, as well as drummer Robbie Kuster. Fellow Montrealer Leif Vollebekk joined the band for "Qimmijuat (Wild Horses)." Another special guest was New York City brass quartet the Westerlies, who were integral to Elisapie's version of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."

Story behind the nominated album:

Inuktitut is the covers album Elisapie has always wanted to make.

"But just for me and my family, with no pressure from labels or even southern fans," she told CBC Music in September 2023.

During the pandemic, the opportunity for that dream showed itself during Elisapie's jogs. A friend sent the singer a running playlist filled with classic hits ranging from the '60s to the '90s, and as Elisapie listened and ran she noticed that some songs would just devastate her.

"It's like I opened a closetful of memories, emotions that I didn't even know were so deep and almost painful, you know?" she said. "And I realized, 'Oh, God, here goes Elisapie again [laughs], the cry baby.' And I realized, there still needs to be work and healing. And it's not just healing for me, but collective healing."

She chose 10 songs to translate into Inuktitut, including ones by Leonard Cohen, Blondie and Cyndi Lauper, and gave each song new arrangements. At first Elisapie wanted to keep it simple, just voice and guitar, but she realized she needed to go big with all these songs that had meant so much to her childhood and the people she loved in Salluit, Que. So she, Grass and Kuster headed to the studio, and each morning before starting Elisapie would share with them the story behind the song they were recording, explaining how each one related to her family and memories. "I cried every morning when we started the session because I finally had people to really talk to and to really explain the emotion behind the song," she explained. 

The result of that time, care and attention is a project that barely feels like a covers album. With Inuktitut, Elisapie has made a powerful reclamation, redefining what all these songs mean for her — and now her fans.

Standout songs:

'Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time)'

A gentle bassline and percussion replace the '80s drum pad and synths for a translation of this Cyndi Lauper classic, immediately giving it a more grounded, down-to-earth sound. Elisapie's voice is hypnotic as she sings the verses that millions of people know in a different language, her Inuktitut lyrics steeping the classic with an entirely new spirit. When Elisapie was young, she would spend much of her time at her aunt's house, and remembers listening to "Time After Time" for the first time on her radio, surrounded by cousins. "It was like a lightning bolt, which instantly linked the song and artist to my older cousin Susie," she said. "For me, the song was all about her search for beauty, connection, love and rising above pain."

'Qaisimalaurittuq (Wish You Were Here)' feat. the Westerlies

When Elisapie brought this Pink Floyd hit to Grass, he didn't want to touch the canonical guitar — so they went for horns instead. Enter brass quartet the Westerlies, whose adept playing works beautifully with Elisapie's new lyrics to create a wholly new song. The horns twine with Elisapie's voice to gain strength with each verse, culminating in a brass back-and-forth that is beautifully messy in its final notes. 

In her liner notes, Elisapie said that this song used to represent pain and loss, connecting her to all the people she's lost through suicide in her hometown. "But now, through this version, the music frees and heals me," she said. "The song brings me back to the old bedrooms we sat in when my lost ones were still alive, not talking about our sadness and loss but just being comforted by the music."

'Qimmijuat (Wild Horses)'

The closing track of the album, "Qimmijuat" is the only song that includes two English words: "wild horses." Elisapie told CBC Music last September that she tried to translate it, but nothing quite fit. "And then Joe was like, 'It's like it doesn't want to be anything [other] than 'wild horses.' So we decided we can have one line that's in English, that's OK," she added, smiling. The longing that the song already held for the Rolling Stones delivers an even deeper gut-punch in Inuktitut, as Elisapie draws out the title words and surrounds them in her native language. For Elisapie, the song is about the often fraught, complicated relationship between parents and a child, and it's a tonally perfect end to such a powerful journey.

Recommended if you like:

Allison Russell, Beyries, Fleetwood Mac, Lisa LeBlanc, Jeremy Dutcher, Sarah Harmer. 

Summer activity pairing:

This album was made for driving — particularly on a long, rural trek, where the gas stations are scarce and the landscape is striking. 

Don't miss Shortlist Summer: a season-long showcase of the 10 albums shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize. Read the weekly Polaris Shortlist Shortcut feature at cbcmusic.ca/polaris and tune into The Ten radio special every Sunday night at 6 p.m. (6:30 NT) at cbc.ca/listen.