Elisapie
School Night at Bardot Hollywood
10.23.23
Photos and Review by JULIE ANN SHAW
HOLLYWOOD – Every Monday night at Bardot at AVALON Hollywood, School Night hosts an intimate live music experience to introduce new and emerging artists. This Monday night was a phenomenal experience, as they hosted Inuk singer, Elisapie, hot off the heels of the September 15th release of her latest album, Inuktitut.
Inuktitut, is a heartfelt and carefully crafted collection of covers performed in Eliaspie’s native language, Inuktitut, French and English, and a beautiful tribute to her home, Salluit, Nunavik, Quebec and now Montreal.
I am extremely grateful that School Night was the first time that I had the privilege to see Elisapie live, as the small venue, with a stage only a few inches off the ground, made it possible to be truly immersed in the moments. Elisapie opened with “Uummati Attanarsimat,” a cover of Blondie’s 1978 classic, “Heart of Glass.”
Even though Elisapie was singing in Inuktitut, a language not commonly found in Hollywood, every person in the room knew what she was singing and freely allowed the music and Elisapie’s emotions to flow through them.
Elisapie announced before she started that she had been fighting a cold, however, her performance of “Taimanagalimaaq,” a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 hit “Time After Time,” was so beautiful and powerful that no one could tell that anything was wrong.
“Call Of The Moose” is a cover by Inuk folk singer, Willie Thrasher, that Elisapie covered on her 2018 album, The Ballad Of The Runaway Girl. Elisapie expressed that this song is especially meaningful to her because it talks about the injustices against her people, including her family’s history in Canadian Residential Schools, and the destruction of the land, which she feels a very strong connection to.
Elisapie continued her set with “Californiamut,” a moving cover of Led Zepplin’s 1971 “Going To California.” The song that followed is a cover of one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. I do not gush over covers of their songs easily, but Elisapie’s “Isumagijunnaitaungituq,” her cover of “The Unforgiven” by Metallica, is haunting, beautiful, moving, and leaves me stunned every single time I listen to it. Hearing her perform it live is a memory I will cherish always.
Sadly, as is unusual with these events, Elisapie’s set was very short. She closed her set with “Arnaq” from The Ballad Of The Runaway Girl. Elisapie’s talent, beauty, passion, and conviction can not be overstated. From her powerful voice to her meaningful movements, every part of her evokes every emotion which she forces you to feel all at once and then forever.
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