Quebec Scene

Taïma

Taima is Aboriginal singer Élisapie Isaac and Quebec composer Alain Auger. It’s also the expression of visions that change according to the way you look at a person, an emotion, a culture or a place.

The two artists met in Montreal in July 2000 at a photo exhibit about the Great North. She: filmmaker, singer/songwriter from Salluit, Nunavik. He: composer and musician from Rouyn-Noranda, in Quebec’s Abitibi region. Despite their different backgrounds, the two discovered they had a lot in common. They decided to collaborate on a project that would convey the idea of renewed and better relationships between “Whites” and Inuit people.

They made their stage debut in Montreal at the 2002 Coup de cœur francophone, then set out on a tour that would take them across Canada and to the United States and France. Backed by a group of talented musicians, they released their first album, Taima, in 2004. The disc was nominated for “Best Artist performing in a language other than French” at the ADISQ Gala, as well as for Best Folk Album, Album Cover of the Year, and Album of the Year at the Aboriginal Music Awards in Toronto.

“Taima” is a widely used Inuktitut expression that means “Enough! It’s over. Let’s move on.”

Source: Radio-Canada Espace musique, www.radio-canada.ca/radio2 (transl.)

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