Northern acts Quantum Tangle, Silla + Rise nominated for Juno award
Quantum Tangle nominated for album 'Tiny Hands,' Silla + Rise for 'Debut'
Two Northern acts have hit the big time in Canadian music, as groups in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut both picked up Juno nominations for Indigenous music album of the year.
Yellowknife duo Grey Gritt and Tiffany Ayalik — better known as Quantum Tangle — were nominated for their album Tiny Hands. Silla + Rise, featuring Nunavut's Cynthia Pitsiulak and Charlotte Qamaniq, were nominated for Debut.
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It's the first nomination for either group, which both use traditional Inuit throat singing in their performances. Silla + Rise features the two Nunavut singers alongside the electronic sounds of Ottawa-based producer Rise Ashen, while Quantum Tangle meshes Ayalik's traditional song and dance with soulful blues from Gritt.
Ayalik, who is Inuk, was born in Yellowknife, while Gritt, who is Oji-Métis, has lived and performed in the city for a number of years. The Inuit duo of Pitsiulak and Qamaniq are from the communities of Kimmirut and Igloolik, respectively.
The two Northern acts are nominated alongside Crystal Shawanda (Ontario), Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie (Ontario), and William Prince (Manitoba).
The Juno Awards will take place in Ottawa April 2.