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Aasiva
Birth nameColleen Aasiva Nakashuk
Born1997 (age 26–27)
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Canada
GenresAcoustic Inuktitut music
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, educator
Instrument(s)Inuit throat singing, ukulele
Years active2018–present
LabelsAakuluk Music
WebsiteOfficial site

Colleen Aasiva Nakashuk (born 1997), better known by her stage name Aasiva, is a Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter and educator. Her style of indie folk music features the ukulele, Inuktitut lyrics, and Inuit throat singing.

Life and career

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Aasiva was born in Pangnirtung, Nunavut.[1][2] Aasiva later moved to Ottawa to study at Nunavut Sivuniksavut, a program affiliated with Algonquin College.[3]

Aasiva is represented by the record label Aakuluk Music.[4] Under this label, she produced her first album, Aasiva, in 2018.[4] For the album Aasiva, she was nominated in two different categories for the 2019 Indigenous Music Awards, Best Folk Album and Best New Artist,[5] and performed at the awards ceremony.[6] The music on this album has been described as folk, indie folk,[7][8] and pop,[9] since it combines the ukulele, Inuktitut lyrics, and Inuit throat-singing. On July 9th 2021, Aasiva released her second album, Niriunniq, which was produced by Jace Lasek of Besnard Lakes.[10]

Multiple radio shows have produced segments that feature Aasiva's music, including CBC Radio[3] and Indigenous in Music and Arts.[11]

In addition to her own music, Aasiva has engaged in extensive music education efforts throughout Nunavut, which has been described in the Nunavut News as "a mission to teach ukulele to young Nunavummiut".[12] She regularly teaches songs, the use of string instruments, and techniques like throat-singing to children in schools and festivals.[1][2][13] She has discussed these education efforts as being part of an effort to preserve Inuit culture.[3] This also motivates her choice to sing in Inuktitut and to use traditional Inuit musical techniques, which she has described as "a way to preserve the artform",[14] as well as her support for bringing more musical and educational opportunities to Nunavut.[15] Aasiva also views music as an important tool for maintaining and improving mental health, and a mechanism for coping.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sharma, Rajnesh (January 8, 2020). "December 2019 in review: Doctor fights for respiratory vaccines; Baffin Fisheries wins in court; NTI accuses feds of sabotaging Inuit language". Nunavut News. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Brown, Beth (October 22, 2018). "Music, games and Inuit stories light up Resolute Bay". Nunatsiaq. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Pollock, Mitch (May 15, 2019). "Nunavut musician Aasiva on falling in love with the ukulele and where it's taken her". CBC Radio. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Aasiva". Aakuluk Music. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Slingerland, Calum (July 5, 2019). "Watch Acoustic Performances from This Year's Indigenous Music Awards Nominees". Exclaim. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Neary, Derek (May 17, 2019). "Angela Amarualik earns Indigenous Music Award". Nunavut News. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Lightfoot, Patricia (April 29, 2019). "Nunavut's artists sparkle in Iqaluit". Nunatsiaq. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Chandler, Justin; Warner, Andrea (March 18, 2019). "5 Indigenous artists you need to know in 2018". CBC. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Bringing the music biz to the North: Jerry Cans launch Nunavut's first record label". CBC Radio. June 15, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "Aasiva - Niriunniq". Le Canal Auditif (in French). Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  11. ^ K, Larry (April 22, 2019). "Indigenous in Music with Larry K – Aasiva in our Spotlight Interview". Indigenous in Music with Larry K. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  12. ^ Sharma, Rajnesh (December 1, 2019). "Iqaluit musician teaches ukulele to youth in three Nunavut communities". Nunavut News. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "Nunavik youth get creative at Pigunnaniq Festival". Nunatsiaq. January 14, 2020.
  14. ^ Barth, Brian (October 14, 2019). "How millennial Inuit sparked a musical movement". National Geographic. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  15. ^ Ottenhof, Luke (May 24, 2019). "Go with the floe: inside the ice-cool Inuit pop scene". The Guardian. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  16. ^ "Nunavut musicians celebrate mental health in Resolute Bay". CBC News. October 21, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
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