- Tanya Tagaq Gillis
Infobox musical artist
Name = Tanya Tagaq Gillis
Img_capt = Tagaq performing in Edmonton in 2007
Background = solo_singer
Born =1977
Origin = Cambridge Bay,Nunavut ,Canada
Genre =a cappella ,throat singing , folk
Occupation = throat singer,songwriter
Years_active = 2004–present
Label =Jericho Beach Music
URL = [http://www.tanyatagaq.com/ www.tanyatagaq.com]Tanya Tagaq Gillis (BFA) (sometimes credited as Tagaq) is an
Inuit throat singer from Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktuutiak),Nunavut ,Canada , on the south coast of Victoria Island. After attending school in Cambridge Bay she went, at age 15, to Yellowknife,Northwest Territories to attend high school where she first began to practice throat singing. She later studied visual arts at theNova Scotia College of Art and Design University and while there developed her own solo form of Inuit throat singing, which is normally done by two women.Although she has become a popular performer at Canadian folk festivals, she is best known both in Canada and internationally for her collaborations with
Björk , including concert tours and the 2004 album "Medúlla ". She has also performed with theKronos Quartet andShooglenifty and featured on theAboriginal Peoples Television Network .In 2005, her CD entitled "
Sinaa " (Inuktitut for "edge") was nominated for five awards at theCanadian Aboriginal Music Awards . At the ceremony on25 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.
According to her official page, her music is like that of
Björk in that Tagaq makes music that is both decidedly unusual and universally appealing on a basic level. Her innovative, solo style of throat singing seeks to push the boundaries of emotion and to express the primitive instincts she believes still reside deep within our flesh. She describes her evolution over the past six years as a process of going deeper and deeper into her performance to the point where she virtually “leaves her body” and lets the expression take over.Although primarily known for her throat singing, she is also an accomplished artist and her work was featured on the 2003
Northwestel telephone directory . [ [http://www.nwtel.ca/about/newsMedia/newsRelease.jsp?id=118 Northwestel Announces Winners Of Directory Cover Art Competition] ]Her upcoming album, "
Auk/Blood " ("ᐊᐅᒃ"Inuktitut syllabics ) [ [http://www.anevibe.com/music-reviews/tagaq-auk-blood.html TAGAQ - Auk/Blood] ] [ [http://www.livingdictionary.com/search/viewResults.jsp?resultsId=1218927936408ri Auk, blood at the Asuilaak Living Dictionary] ] will feature collaborations withMike Patton , among others.References
External links
* [http://www.tanyatagaq.com/ Tanya Tagaq Gillis] 's Official Site
* [http://www.myspace.com/tagaq Official Myspace Page]
* [http://www.killbeatmusic.com/onesheets/tanyatagaqonesheet.pdf Tanya Tagaq at killbeatmusic.com]
* [http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=125&csid2=4&fid1=33223 Tanya Tagaq at exclaim]
* [http://www.taking-over.com/music-news/tanya-tagaq-gillis Taking Over Interview with Tanya Tagaq]
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