Joey Nowyuk seeks help from above in his new single and video Pray — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Produced by Thor Simonsen (Kelly Fraser) and Dale Penner (Nickelback), Pray is the latest preview of the Nunavut artist’s forthcoming debut Tumitit. Set for release this July, the album also features Inuit throat singing performed by Juno-nominated band Silla + Rise’s Qattuu Evic. The video for Pray was directed, filmed, and edited by Paris-born filmmaker Aïda Maigre-Touchet.
Hailing from Pangnirtung, Nowyuk first picked up the guitar when a travelling music workshop visited, he recalls. “I was inspired to keep playing, but that wasn’t an easy feat when guitar strings could not even be purchased in my community, being so remote!”
Nevertheless, his beat-heavy, guitar-driven songs have beamed beyond Northern borders like the rays of optimism and hope they espouse — including translations across Inuktitut, English, French, and Japanese. “I want to reach people around the world, just as much as Nunavut and Canada,” he says. “Tumitit is the Inuktitut word for ‘footsteps’ in English and, as the title suggests, I want others to walk in my footsteps by continuing to improve their lives and reach for their goals.”
A talented multi-instrumentalist on guitar and drums, in addition to powerhouse vocals, Nowyuk’s extensive songwriting repertoire has also taken top prize at the annual Qilaut Songwriting Contest three times — including its most recent 2021 event. “At their root, many of my songs are very personal, and Nunavummiuit often tell me they can relate; I touch on a lot of topics such as growing up an Inuk, mental health and suicide awareness, as well as living in the North.”
Watch Pray above, hear more from Joey Nowyuk below, and keep up with him on his website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
