Kelly Fraser on why singing in Inuktitut is important to her

The first time I met Kelly Fraser, Inuk pop singer, she was getting ready to head to the Junos after being nominated for her album, Sedna. Her second album was nominated for the Indigenous Music Album of the Year in 2018.

I was immediately struck by her confidence, self-awareness and her passion for Inuit culture and language. We became fast friends and I continue to admire her strength and tireless advocacy for all things Inuit.

In 2013 her translation of Rihanna's Diamonds went viral and she hasn't stopped since. So when the opportunity came to hang out with her again I jumped at it.

We met up at a record shop in downtown Winnipeg and talked about our favourite albums (hint: the Runaways were a big influence), learned how to work a record player (sort of) and learned some great words in Inuktitut from the Queen of Iconic pop song translations.

We did get some curious side-eye glances from other music shoppers who had never heard the song Cherry Bomb in Inuktitut, but we still had a blast travelling down memory lane!

CBC Indigenous is highlighting a few of the many diverse Indigenous languages that exist across the country. Read more from the Original Voices project.