Tanya Tagaq
| Tanya Tagaq | |
|---|---|
Tagaq performing in Edmonton in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 1975 (age 40) |
| Origin | Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada |
| Genres | a cappella, throat singing, folk |
| Occupation(s) | throat singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Jericho Beach Music Six Shooter Records Ipecac Recordings |
| Website | www.tanyatagaq.com |
Tanya Tagaq (born Tanya Tagaq Gillis and sometimes credited as Tagaq) is a Canadian (Inuk) throat singer from Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktuutiak), Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island.[1] After attending school in Cambridge Bay, at age 15, she went to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to attend high school where she first began to practice throat singing. She later studied visual arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and while there developed her own solo form of Inuit throat singing, which is normally done by two women.[2]
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Life and work[edit]
She was a popular performer at Canadian folk festivals, such as Folk on the Rocks in 2005,[3] and first became widely known both in Canada and internationally for her collaborations with Björk, including concert tours and the 2004 album Medúlla. She has also performed with the Kronos Quartet and Shooglenifty and has been featured on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
In 2005, her CD entitled Sinaa (Inuktitut for "edge") was nominated for five awards at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. At the ceremony on 25 October 2005, the CD won awards for Best Producer/Engineer, Best Album Design and Tagaq herself won the Best Female Artist award.
Sinaa was nominated for the 2006 Juno Awards as the Best Aboriginal Recording.
Although primarily known for her throat singing, she is also an accomplished artist and her work was featured on the 2003 Northwestel telephone directory.[4]
Her 2008 album Auk/Blood (ᐊᐅᒃ Inuktitut syllabics)[5][6] features collaborations with Mike Patton, among others. In 2011, she released a live album titled Anuraaqtuq. It was recorded during Tagaq's performance at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle in Victoriaville.
In 2012 Tagaq performed the theme music for the CBC television show Arctic Air.[7]
Tagaq released her third album, Animism, on May 27, 2014 on Six Shooter Records.[8] The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize, her first nomination for that award,[9] and won the $30,000 award on September 22, 2014.[10] The album also won the Juno Award for Aboriginal Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2015,[11] and was nominated for Alternative Album of the Year.
Awards and recognition[edit]
- 2006 Juno Awards, nominee: Aboriginal Recording of the Year, Sinaa
- 2009 Juno Awards, nominee: Aboriginal Recording of the Year and Instrumental Album of the Year, Auk/Blood
- 2014 Polaris Music Prize, winner: Animism
- 2015 Juno Awards, nominee: Alternative Album of the Year, Animism
- 2015 Juno Awards, winner: Aboriginal Recording of the Year, Animism
Discography[edit]
- Sinaa (2005)
- Auk/Blood (ᐊᐅᒃ) (2008)
- Anuraaqtuq (2011)
- Animism (2014)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Tanya Tagaq Gillis". Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art-Centre de l'art contemporain canadien. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ Khanna, Vish." Tanya Tagaq Takes it Back", Exclaim!, September 2008.
- ^ Performers from 2005
- ^ Northwestel Announces Winners Of Directory Cover Art Competition
- ^ TAGAQ - Auk/Blood
- ^ Auk, blood at the Asuilaak Living Dictionary
- ^ Arctic Air Theme Song
- ^ Sneak peak: Tanya Tagaq's new album
- ^ "Arcade Fire, Drake, Shad make Polaris Music Prize short list". CTV News, July 15, 2014.
- ^ "Tanya Tagaq Wins 2014 Polaris Music Prize". Exclaim!, September 22, 2014.
- ^ "2015 Junos: Bahamas, Arkells, Rush big winners at 'Junos Eve' gala". CBC Music, March 14, 2015.
External links[edit]
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- Living people
- Canadian female singers
- Canadian folk singers
- Canadian Inuit people
- Inuit musicians
- Throat singing
- People from Kitikmeot Region
- Artists from Nunavut
- Inuit artists
- Musicians from Nunavut
- Canadian women artists
- NSCAD University alumni
- 1977 births
- Six Shooter Records artists
- Juno Award winners
- Polaris Music Prize winners
