Iva and Angu
– Iva and Angu are a Canadian musical duo from Nunavut who perform Inuit throat singing. The duo, consisting of Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt and Charlotte Qamaniq, released the album Katajjausiit in 2022, and received a JUNO Award nomination for Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2023.
Biography
Katajjaqtiik (Inuit throat singers) Ivaluarjuk and Angugaattiaq unite to share the beauty of traditional katajjausiit (Inuit throat songs). Their names, passed down through ancient Inuit naming practices, connect them to generations of ancestors. With every performance, Iva and Angu honor the songs that survived the attempted cultural genocide of the mid-20th century in Canada.
Katajjausiit are traditional songs unique to Inuit women of the Canadian Arctic—timeless melodies that have echoed across millennia. More than music, these songs carry the power to influence spirits and weather, soothe children to sleep, entertain communities, and bring warmth during the long, unforgiving Arctic winters.
![Iva and Angu demonstrating katajjaq at the Elders Qammaq in Iqaluit [credit: Jeff Pelletier]](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0631/8984/4024/files/2024_iva_and_angu_alianait_workshop.jpg?v=1721835501&width=320&height=426&crop=center)
![Iva and Angu hug during a performance Alianait big top tent stage 2024 [credit: Vincent Desrosiers]](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0631/8984/4024/files/2024_iva_and_angu_alianait_big_top_performance_3.jpg?v=1721836359&width=320&height=426&crop=center)
Awards and Recognition
- Winner Most Arctic Song, PanArcticVision Song Contest, Nuuk (2024)
- Nominated Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year, Juno Awards (2023)
Downloads
- tech_rider_iva_and_angu.pdf89 KB
Contact
Booking
bookings@qamaniqrecords.comPress and media
press@qamaniqrecords.com