Inuit duo PIQSIQ and Finnish duo VILDÁ have teamed up for a captivating single
Sisters Kayley Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik, the latter of Juno-winning ensemble Quantum Tangle, have been rapidly winning fans for their latest project, PIQSIQ, and this latest single is bound to add a few more.
“Ovddos / Hivumuuniq,” released last month, is a collaboration with Finnish duo VILDÁ that melds PIQSIQ’s unique adaptations of Inuit style throat singing with VILDÁ’s combinations of accordion and joiking, the ancient singing form of the Sami people.
The collaboration was part of a project run by Folk Music Canada that paired Canadian songwriters with international songwriters to collaborate and co-write a song that is being released and promoted as part of the project.
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“We were so happy that they reached out to us because they asked us who we wanted to collaborate with,” Tiffany told CBC Yellowknife’s Trailbreaker program. “Right away we thought, ‘Oh I wonder if VILDÁ is available and would be interested.'”
The two duos first met when PIQSIQ was touring Finland, Tiffany said.
They met again when collaborating on a different project in Montreal.
Inukshuk described VILDÁ’s music as timeless and otherworldly and said they connected with the band because both are taking traditional sounds and interpreting them in new and interesting ways.
Hildá Länsman of VILDÁ said they were enthusiastic about working with PIQSIQ.
“For me personally, it has been a dream to get to work together with a fellow Indigenous artist or group, especially ones who are living further away from Scandinavia,” she said. “So I think it was just a dream come true opportunity.”
Have a listen to “Ovddos / Hivumuuniq.”
