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NO BOUNDARIES: Tanya Tagaq Looks Ahead to Collaborations and New Projects

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By Julijana Capone

“What it feels like is jumping off a cliff, and just landing wherever you’re going to land,” says Brandon-based throat singer Tanya Tagaq about her improvisational vocal style. “It’s like letting go of time. It’s like letting go of everything that’s holding me mentally or physically or emotionally and just being completely free.”

Tagaq’s emotionally-charged soundscapes are a fury of voice and breaths that can resemble animals, nature sounds, and other noises, simultaneously fusing her bond to The North with her contemporary influences.

Although she was exposed to throat singing while growing up in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, it wasn’t until she moved to Halifax for college that she began to craft her own style. While throat singing traditionally involves performances with two women facing one another, Tagaq’s style of throat singing is done solo.

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Tanya Tagaq (Photo: Ivan Otis)