Last night, Elisapie brought the west coast premier of her acclaimed show Uvattini (directed by Émilie Monnet) to Vancouver, thanks to VIFF Live + Chan Centre EXP. The show comes off the heels of the Inuk singer’s latest album, last year’s Inuktitut, which consisted of a handful of of classic song covers translated to Inuktitut and reinterpreted by Elisapie. And was just short-listed for the Polaris Prize!

With no opening act for the evening, the lights dimmed and smoke billowed, as “I Have a Dream” by ABBA played over the speakers and the band took the stage, followed by Elisapie in an ornate coat, launching into a pair of songs off Inuktitut, “Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)” and the incredibly fun “Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time)”.

The screen behind her danced with images, often directly related to the songs, or the people who inspired her, and the lights & smoke combined to create an ethereal atmosphere as Elisapie weaved through covers from the new album, as well as some older tunes, with an effortless charm and captivating stage presence. The set ebbed and flowed, exemplified by the high energy finish of “Qanniuguma” leading into “Moi, Elsie” a gorgeous soft song with Elisapie and her guitarist alone on stage, in the spotlight.

Throughout the night, she also told stories, often candid about the inspiration for her songs, a lot about her childhood and family. She talked about writing “Una” for her birth mother; introduced “Sinnatuumait (Dreams)” as the favourite song of her brother, who she lost at a young age; and dedicated an absolutely heart wrenching rendition of “Qimatsilunga (I Want to Break Free)” to one of her cousins who took his own life.

An hour and a half flew by, as the set finished with Elisapie and her band doing an almost entirely a capella “Qaisimalaurittuq (Wish You Were Here)”, joined only by the bass sax. Her beautiful voice lilted throughout the room, as she got everyone to hum along to the end, the crowd continuing as the band left and sax grew softer.

But as the crowd was giving a standing ovation, she returned for a couple more, first professing her adoration for Leonard Cohen before her version of “Taimaa Qimatsiniungimat (Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye)”, and finally inviting people up on stage for a big dance party — no doubt a nod to those of her childhood, which she says partially inspired Inuktitut — to the last song of the night, “Inuuniaravit (Born to Be Alive)”.

Uvattini means “home” in Inuktitut, and that was exactly the vibes of the evening. Elisipie made the show feel intimate, inviting us into her home. Not only with her stories, but with the visuals and a soundtrack of her childhood, transporting everyone to Salluit, Nunavik for the evening.

setlist
Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)
Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time)
Call of the Moose
Californiamut (Going to California)
Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)
Sinnatuumait (Dreams)
Wolves Don't Live by the Rules
Qanniuguma
Moi, Elsie
Arnaq
Una
Qimatsilunga (I Want to Break Free)
Qaisimalaurittuq (Wish You Were Here)
(encore)
Taimaa Qimatsiniungimat (Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye)
Inuuniaravit (Born to Be Alive)