The Bar Loves Tagaq

Tanya Tagaq Gillis

So Amaya recently mentioned getting back into listening to music from around the world, which got me thinking I should talk about a few folks who've been on my mind.

While searching for videos of Kinnie Star (another post, another day), I came across and immediately fell in love with Inuit chanteuse Tagaq, who specializes in Inuit throat singing and is a full-figured force of nature.

Before we continue, some of you are saying, "Oh!  I love Mongolian throat singing!"

Yeah...the two are nothing alike.

Inuit throat singing or katajjaq, also known as (and commonly confused with) the generic term overtone singing, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit. (There used to be a similar style, Rekuhkara, practiced by the Ainu in Hokkaidō, but that has since died out.) Unlike the throat singers in other regions of the world, particularly Tibet, Mongolia and Tuva, the Inuit performers are usually women who sing only duets in a kind of entertaining contest to see who can outlast the other. However, at least one notable performer, Tanya Tagaq, performs throat singing as a solo artist and as a collaborator with non-throat singing musicians such as Björk. (Source)

And this...is Tagaq.