Tanya Tagaq
[CA]
Tanya Tagaq is a Canadian Inuk throat singer from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Through guttural groans, colossal breathing and deeply spiritualistic performances that reference industrial, metal and electronica, she translates ancient traditions of Inuit throat singing into sexy, postmodern expressions. Tagaq’s powerful artistry portrays a violent world in crisis and on the brink of destruction.
She first became widely known for her collaborations with Björk on the latter’s 2004 album Medulla as well as for ongoing performances with the Kronos Quartet and a collaboration with Mike Patton. Having developed her own solo form of Inuit throat singing, which is normally done by two women, Tagaq’s work offers an exhilarating protest linking a tragic lack of respect for women’s rights to a tragic lack of respect for the planet and for Indigenous people. Her new album, Retribution, is slated for release October 2016.
“Tagaq projects sounds that carry the imprint of the body’s secret contours and recesses, delving far beyond personal utterance, out beyond human identity, to summon voices from the flesh cavity haunts of animal spirits and primal energies” (The Wire).
