Director, composer, singer-songwriter and activist, Elisapie Isaac comes from the Arctic.
“The North is not at the other end of the world. It’s at the heart of mine.”
Through myriad projects, Elisapie has established herself as a true Inuit icon. She was first discovered in
2003 as the director of her documentary If the Weather Permits , a film which thrust viewers into her own
origin story. The following year, she released her first album with the duo Taima, winning a Juno Award
for Indigenous Music Album of the Year. She has since released two solo albums, There Will be Stars
(2009) and Travelling Love (2013). The most recent one was awarded a Félix for Anglophone Album of
the Year.
In September 2018, Elisapie will release her fourth album, The Ballad of the Runaway Girl , through
Bonsound and Yotanka. In the self-doubt that arose from a tumultuous postpartum depression, Elisapie
found comfort and hope in ancient Indigenous folk tunes. Though she will release an album of these
covers in the near future, exploring traditional music has inspired a host of new songs.
Elisapie has designed a genuine work of art by intertwining pieces of her own intimate story, such as her
adpoption,

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.