Elisapie returns today with Qimmijuat (Wild Horses), an adaptation of the classic Rolling Stones ballad that she translated into her mother tongue. Taken from the album Inuktitut, to be released by Bonsound on September 15th, 2023, this new single follows Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass), Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time) and Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven), which caught the attention of Rolling Stone magazine and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
Similar to the original in its tenderness and intensity, Qimmijuat (Wild Horses) showcases Elisapie's raw, vulnerable voice, backed by her loyal collaborator Joe Grass' powerful, moving arrangements. Robbie Kuster's striking drums and Leif Vollebekk's piano melody help set this version apart. The song is a tribute to a childhood friend of Elisapie who had a difficult home life due to his parent's separation and a strained relationship with his father. Wild Horses became a source of comfort for him and his obsession with it was palpable, as if he was riding away from all his problems on the back of this song, explains Elisapie.
Qimmijuat (Wild Horses) is available on all music services.
Pre-order/pre-save Inuktitut on vinyl, CD or digital format.
Elisapie's new song is accompanied by a music video directed by Philippe Léonard, using footage shot by Jean-Philippe Sansfaçon in Inukjuak and Salluit, Nunavik. Infused with great delicacy, the video showcases the people who live in these villages through various intimate tableaux and scenes of community life.
Watch and share the music video for Qimmijuat (Wild Horses) via YouTube.
Inuktitut is Elisapie’s fourth solo album. With these 10 covers of classic rock and pop songs from the 60s to the 90s, she reinvigorates their poetry thanks to the raw sounds of the thousand-year-old Inuktitut language and gives each track a unique and deeply personal quality. Every song from the album is linked to a loved one or an intimate story that has shaped the person Elisapie is today. Through this act of cultural reappropriation, she tells her story and offers these songs as a gift to her community, making her language and culture resonate beyond the borders of the Inuit territory.
Elisapie will be taking her new album to the stage on a 50-date tour. In addition to her regular tour, there will be five performances of Uvattini, a special live show presented exclusively at Usine C in Montréal and the Grand Théâtre de Québec. This summer, Elisapie will also travel to Kuujjuaq to premiere her new show, before heading out to Rouyn-Noranda to perform at FME. More concerts are scheduled in France in November 2023 and April 2024. See the list below or visit elisapie.com for more details.
About Elisapie
Elisapie's unconditional attachment to her territory and her language, Inuktitut, remains at the core of her creative journey. Born and raised in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik which is only accessible by plane, Elisapie is an emblematic Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter. Since winning her first Juno Award in 2005 with her band Taima, Elisapie’s body of work has been praised many times. Her 2018 album The Ballad of the Runaway Girl was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and earned her numerous Félix Awards as well as a Juno nomination. Since then, the Inuk artist performed with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal at the invitation of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, at the SummerStage Festival in New York City’s Central Park, and at the NPR offices for her own Tiny Desk Session, as well as at several local and international venues and festivals. Always surrounded by the best musicians from the Montreal indie and folk scenes, Elisapie makes her culture resonate with finesse by mixing modernity and tradition.
Tour dates
16/08/2023 - Kuujjuaq, QC - Aqpik Jam Music festival
01/09/2023 - Rouyn-Noranda, QC - Le Paramount (FME)
01/09/2023 - Rouyn-Noranda, QC - Chalet de ski du Mont Kanasuta (Concerts Intimes SiriusXM - FME)
06/10/2023 - Val-Morin, QC - Théâtre du Marais
07/11/2023 - Château Arnoux, FR - Théâtre Durance
09/11/2023 - Saint-Malo, FR - La Nouvelle Vague
10/11/2023 - Brest, FR - Cabaret Vauban
16/11/2023 - Nantes, FR - Trempo
07/12/2023 - Montréal, QC - Usine C (Uvattini) - SOLD OUT
08/12/2023 - Montréal, QC - Usine C (Uvattini) - SOLD OUT
09/12/2023 - Montréal, QC - Usine C (Uvattini)
20/12/2023 - Québec City, QC - Salle Louis-Fréchette - Grand Théâtre de Québec (Uvattini)
21/12/2023 - Québec City, QC - Salle Louis-Fréchette - Grand Théâtre de Québec (Uvattini)
18/01/2024 - Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC - Salle Albert-Dumouchel
19/01/2024 - Brossard, QC - Le Club DIX30
20/01/2024 - Sherbrooke, QC - Théâtre Granada
24/01/2024 - Joliette, QC - Centre culturel Desjardins
25/01/2024 - Gatineau, QC - Salle Jean-Despréz
26/01/2024 - Chambly, QC - Pôle culturel de Chambly
27/01/2024 - Châteauguay, QC - Pavillon de l'Île
31/01/2024 - Longueuil, QC - Théâtre de la Ville - Salle Pratt & Whitney Canada
01/02/2024 - Mont-Laurier, QC - Espace Théâtre Muni-Spec
02/02/2024 - Saint-Jérôme, QC - Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault
07/02/2024 - Drummondville, QC - Maison des arts Desjardins
08/02/2024 - Victoriaville, QC - Carré 150 - Cabaret Guy-Aubert
09/02/2024 - Sorel-Tracy, QC - Salle Georges-Codling
10/02/2024 - Waterloo, QC - Maison de la culture de Waterloo
15/02/2024 - Saint-Eustache, QC - Le Zénith Promutuel Assurance
16/02/2024 - Mont-Tremblant, QC - L'Église du Village
17/02/2024 - Sainte-Geneviève, QC - Salle Pauline-Julien
22/02/2024 - Repentigny, QC - Théâtre Alphonse-Desjardins
23/02/2024 - Shawinigan, QC - Salle Philippe-Filion
24/02/2024 - Laval, QC - Salle André-Mathieu
01/03/2024 - Lévis, QC - L'Anglicane
02/03/2024 - Thetford-Mines, QC - Le Vitrail
27/03/2024 - Ottawa, ON - Studio Azrieli - Centre National des Arts
28/03/2024 - Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall
04/04/2024 - Annecy, FR - Le Brise Glace
06/04/2024 - Guyancourt, FR - La Batterie
03/04/2024 - Grenoble, FR - Centre culturel L’Ilyade (Festival Détours de Babel)
12/04/2024 - Figeac, FR - L’Astrolabe
13/04/2024 - Cenon, FR - Le Rocher de Palmer
02/05/2024 - Lachine, QC - L'Entrepôt
09/05/2024 - Val-d'Or, QC - Théâtre Télébec
10/05/2024 - La Sarre, QC - Salle Desjardins
11/05/2024 - Ville-Marie, QC - Théâtre du Rift
14/11/2024 - Terrebonne, QC - Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne
15/11/2024 - Saint Damien, QC - Maison de la culture de Bellechasse
16/11/2024 - Saint-Casimir, QC - Les Grands Bois
21/11/2024 - Sainte-Thérèse, QC - Théâtre Lionel-Groulx
22/11/2024 - Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC - Théâtre Le Patriote
23/11/2024 - LaSalle, QC - Théâtre Desjardins
29/11/2024 - Saint-Hyacinthe, QC - Centre des arts Juliette-Lassonde
30/11/2024 - Trois-Rivières, QC - Salle Anaïs-Allard-Rousseau