For many people in this increasingly xenophobic world, Beatrice Deer might as well be beaming in from another planet. For others, she’s just the sort of history lesson they crave. The Montreal-based singer/songwriter’s upcoming LP adheres to an expansive narrative of empowerment and renewal as it closely mirrors the struggles of her disenfranchised Canadian homeland. The northernmost region of Quebec and home to more than 10,000 Inuit, Nunavik is a historically marginalized area that was largely ignored for a half century. Inuit Legend serves as a darkly enchanting indie-rock portal to a largely unknown region and culture, with Deer serving as both soothsayer and tour guide.
This is album number eight for Deer, who’s half-Inuk and half-Mohawk and delivers lyrics in her native Inuktitut (with occasional English and French). Sounding a little like an Arctic Kate Bush, she sings with a throaty, hypnotic detachment that feels almost celestial. Her former husband oversaw her early musical growth—to the point where she didn’t consider herself capable of pursuing it on her own until she broke away from her marriage and headed to Montreal. Just 23 at the time, she took up the guitar and honed an original style she refers to as “Inuindie.” A series of critically acclaimed albums followed.
Deer’s latest single, “The Bear,” is based one of the real-life tales passed down to her from her ancestors—a true account of an elderly woman who killed a polar bear with nothing but a walking stick and mittens.
“It’s a story of survival during the famine of the early 1900s,” says Deer, who’s also a compelling visual artist. “We Inuit are alive today because of the sacrifices and selfless acts our ancestors did during those dark times. It’s also a reminder to our youth that you can’t die when it’s not your time. So choose life instead of ending it.”
We’re proud to premiere Beatrice Deer’s “The Bear.” Inuit Legend is out April 3 via Uummati.
—Hobart Rowland
See Beatrice Deer live.
