This fall, a bonafide who’s who of Nunavut’s top artists will join forces to perform together in Iqaluit during the new Nunavut Music Export Showcase.
The event – called “NUPOP” (a Nunavut version of the word “K-Pop”) – is essentially a concert and event series designed to both celebrate and promote Inuit artists, as well as help them become more “export ready” for global music markets.
This year’s lineup includes Joey Nowyuk, Angela Amarualik, Hyper-T, Looee, Shauna Seeteenak, Brenda Montana, Christian Tagoona, Jacob Okatsiak, Qattuu, and more.
The concert will take place on October 1, 2022 at the Aqsarniit Hotel & Conference Center in Iqaluit.
In the week leading up to the concert, various events and workshops will be held to help aspiring artists develop their skills, including auditions and networking events.
Moving forward, NUPOP hopes to become an annual event, as well as a touring show with performances across Canada and abroad by 2023.
Roughly based on Motown’s success with black artists in the 1960s, and K-Pop’s success with Korean artists in the 1990s through to today, NUPOP aims to help Inuit artists create sustainable careers in the music industry via investments in artist development, performance, networking, and international partnerships.
NUPOP is organized by the Iqaluit-based record label, Hitmakerz, in collaboration with Qaggiavuut, Embrace Life Council, Black Heart Cafe, Lester Landau, and Atiigo Media. The event is also indirectly sponsored by the Government of Nunavut through financial support to various artists’ projects.
In addition to giving artists a platform and entertaining local audiences, the NUPOP concert is also the official release party for 6 new albums: Joey Nowyuk’s “Inuugama“, Brenda Montana’s “Qaujimagit”, Angela Amarualik’s “Uvannik”, Jacob Okatsiak’s “Inuugapta”, Hyper-T’s “Night Owl EP”, and Looee’s “Maani”.
All the events will take place during Hitmakerz Compound, an annual artist bootcamp where most of the label’s roster and crew come together in one city for songwriting, music production, professional development, collaboration, and team building.
NUPOP is also a precursor for the upcoming Arctic Music Awards, which is set to take place virtually in January 2023.
“We’re really looking forward to the show. It’ll be an awesome experience for both performers and audiences,” said Thor Simonsen, CEO of Hitmakerz. “We hope it will also create many tangible benefits to the artists who use NUPOP as a platform to further their careers in music.”
The NUPOP concert will take place on October 1, 2022 at the Aqsarniit Hotel & Conference Center in Iqaluit. Tickets are available for sale now at: https://bit.ly/nupop202
In the week leading up to the concert, several free workshops and music industry events will also be held around the city. To see the full schedule, please visit https://www.nupop.ca/
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(tickets will also be available at the door)
Artist Bios
NUPOP on Facebook
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Hitmakerz on Instagram
