Tanya Tagaq is known for her raw, powerful mix of Inuit throat singing, rock, improv and other styles.
To say the least, it has been a whirlwind year for Tanya Tagaq.
Known for her raw, powerful mix of Inuit throat singing, rock, improv and other styles, the Nunavut native – who has collaborated with high-profile artists from Bjork to the Kronos Quartet – was both applauded and viciously attacked online for tweeting a "sealfie" of her baby lying beside a dead baby seal. (She was showing her support for the Inuit seal hunt.)
Then her album, Animism, beat out huge acts – including Arcade Fire and Drake – to win this year's Polaris Music Prize, and as she performed at the gala, the names of hundreds of murdered and missing aboriginal women scrolled behind her. The reviews were rapturous, and huge international magazines such as Rolling Stone and NME covered the win – as well as her controversial acceptance speech, where she encouraged people to wear and eat seal, before lashing out at PETA.
Problem is, now her phone won't stop ringing.
"Some days, I haven't even had time to eat or have a bath. It's like having a newborn," Tagaq – who is between calls from a heavy-metal magazine and her manager – says with a laugh. "It's a little bit overwhelming."
Still, Ms. Tagaq is keenly aware of her influence, and is determined to use it to draw attention to pressing social issues, from homelessness to mental health to the environment. This week, she is joining author and TV host Severn Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of famed environmentalist David Suzuki, for a talk and performance about justice, equality, culture and the role of women and indigenous people in protecting the Earth.
For Ms. Tagaq, who was raised to not waste food or water and to recycle everything, it's familiar territory, as is the controversial issue of resource development in the north.
"I have been talking like this for the last 10 years. I have thought this way my whole life," says Ms. Tagaq, who will perform with renowned Vancouver composer, producer and violinist Jesse Zubot. "I want people to leave with a bit of fire under their asses to go out and make change happen when it comes to the environment, because it's deadly important. The biggest thing we have is this Earth, and we've got to take care of her."
Tanya Tagaq performs with Severn Cullis-Suzuki as part of the Beyond Words series at the Chan Centre tonight and tomorrow (chancentre.com).