There Will Be Stars - Elisapie's first solo album on iTunes June 7 - Washington DC rock music

The one thing you will hear about Elisapie Isaac is that she grew up in Salluit, Nunavik, also known as northern Canada. After chatting with her for even a few minutes, you realize that she is much more than a representative of a place - she brings her unique background and talents to the table in a way that is truly her own. Her music is an intriguing blend of soft jazz and pop, and covers an array of emotions. Read on to learn more about the singer-songwriter, and be sure to check out her first solo album on iTunes on June 7, 2011.

Candice: I found a lot of info about where you grew up, but not a lot of specific things. What do you remember about growing up in northern Canada?

Elisapie: Well, it was isolated, but I think what I also see now is that it did not feel any different. Of course we're unique, but you don't know that you're from a unique culture. Or, unique in the sense that it's a different culture. I have no reference as to what other options we have. You think about it, we were the center of the universe, you know? So it was a very normal, normal child upbringing, of course it's a bit different because we're not as modern in terms of education, technology, and we're so isolated you have to fly to other Inuit villages. So already we're even isolated from other Inuit communities. I think it's just the feeling of isolation, but I mean, that's how our people lived for the longest time so it did not feel any different.

C: Does your background influence your music? (and how?)

E: Of course, it did, but for the longest time I didn't think it did. When you grow up you realize how much your past is a big part of you, you know, your family and no matter what, I don't think we change that much either. I think it's probably going to be more and more influence for my career, but at the same time I think there's another line, another road that I follow at the same time, which is discovering and reinventing the kind of mixed music that I like to do. Because, it's never traditional what I do, I'm not really interested in that, aside from really crazy projects that one day I will do, that will be purely traditional. So, it's very inspiring and influential, but it's more themes I think, that's where I find inspiration. The real-life, day-to-day life, questions that we raise. It's a lot also for the young people, I don't know why, but I always feel like I'm singing to them. Because I really feel they need something. They inspire me, because I know they're in need of stimulation and people who are able to express themselves. So it's really, prob because of what I wanted to be, I wanted to be a social worker, I worked with kids before, so I think there's hope there, and a lot of resources too.

C: Definitely. Just by looking at your Facebook and Twitter pages, you're very successful in reaching out to your audience, and that's very evident. I don't speak French, but you have a lot of French-speaking fans, a lot of English-speaking fans. You're very good at reaching out to people.

C: Do you have any favorite musicians?

E: My God, I'm think I'm a cyclical person. I never really get attached. Of course I'm a big Leonard Cohen and all these people who are, like, they don't make them anymore. Bob Dylan, Neil Young...It's never going to be as legendary as these guys were, or women like Buffy Sainte-Marie. It's really hard because there's so much going on out there, so it's really hard for me to really get attached and be so like "Ah" because it's never really total, it's always something I like because of their look or something, their music or their lyrics, but it's never really like, capturing and so deep and so real as like, Dylan and Neil Young. So, I'm an "oldie" in a way. So favorite music, I think it's all about soul and so I don't really have a favorite musician if I think about it. It's a weird thing.

C: I tend to go through phases..

E: Yeah, exactly. I think if you think about what's going on, like, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, all those guys I think are just so amazing, and the national...I listen to a lot of bands actually from the states. I'm really into that kind of cool, raw, but yet there's something really deep and really touching but there's something really raw in the feelings.

C: It almost goes back to the original singer-songwriters that you were talking about, that's kind of where they're pulling from.

C: Do you play any instruments?

E: I'm really horrible, but enough to have made an album. To come up with melodies, would just help me. I don't know many chords, when I learn one it really inspires me and I might come up with a song. I'm the laziest girl in Montreal probably. And thank God I can sing and easily come up with emotional melodies, but it's totally not happening in terms of motivating myself with an instrument. But, I'm going back to taking my guitar lessons again next week, with somebody who has a different approach, it's going to be a bit more personal, more fun.

C: I had read on your blog that you were starting to take guitar lessons, and I thought I'd ask.

E: Yeah, I have to. Time to get inspired again and get into the habit to just taking my guitar.

C: What happens when you learn all the chords?

E: I don't know, I mean, there's potential there! I just have to believe in myself and push myself, that's what I need to do. I've been so busy for the past 2 years, and a l year and a half of touring non-stop and I have a crazy summer happening again, so I'm really going to have to try to take the month of May to take it easy, but we'll see.

C: It could be relaxing, right?

E: Yeah, but when you haven't really slept for a year and a half you're thinking ok, I should take a one-week vacation and you realize you don't have a week because you're all booked all of a sudden, you're like "oh my God! I did not think of booking a vacation in there!" and you're freaking out a bit, but it's all good. I have good people around me, so yeah.

C: So you're touring in Canada in the summer, right?

E: Yeah, I'm touring in Canada, in Quebec, a bit of going back and forth a bit to new york, so that should be fun.

C: I was going to ask if you were planning on coming to the DC area? (That's where I typically come out to go see shows..)

E: Not yet, we're actually looking for bookers now, which is really important I think, especially the US is so humongous.

C: Well, Canada's pretty big too.

E: Yeah, Canada's big, but once you have a chance and you have an album coming out in the states, it's great, but we already have a booker here in CA, but it would be nice to have a booking agent in the US.

C: We'll put the word out.

E: Yeah, exactly.

C: How long had you been working on this new album, how long did it take you?

E: It took me a while actually. It took me about 3 years, in and out, really I think the first year was about "oh, we'll see how I do with my songs, I don't know, I'll come up with something..." really not confident at all. and then, after a few songs, my manager said "do you know what? I think you have an album coming" and I was like "oh, you think??" I was really insecure about letting anybody hear my songs. That's why it took a while and I really needed to take the time because I was really nervous, and then I'm like, OK, time to believe in those songs, and it just really came out naturally and came out with a great producer...It took yeah, almost 3 years, but studio time about 3 months.

C: How did you come up with the album title? (There Will Be Stars)
E: Actually, I don't know. I was cleaning the bath and my boyfriend then said, "there will be stars." He looked at me, I looked at him, and I said "That's a great title" And I said, it's one of the lines in one of my songs, and right away I knew he was talking about a title and I was like "whoa! that's great!" So, I proposed it and everyone was like, ok, sounds good. Because it's really related to my ancestors, my grandfather, you know, who said when it's stormy, you have to know very well how the stars work and their orientation, so I thought it was a nice message to bring back north to say that, you know, we need to keep the spark going, it's really important in life. There are many messages in the title.

C: You are not only a singer/songwriter, but you made a film, is that correct?

E: On the side, I directed one film, but I've always been in the media world, up north when I was younger, And it's something I've always been very comfortable in. It's a documentary film that you'll actually be able to see, that I will post very soon on my Facebook actually, it's called "If the Weather Permits," and it's really about reconnecting with your ancestors, the generations before who were v traditional and very confident, and wanting to reconnect with the youth that have a few identity crisis issues, and I really wanted to make it personal, so I'm the narrator, talking to my grandfather, who has passed away, so it's really personal but at the same time very documentary. It's a 27-minute documentary.

C: Post that link!

E: Yeah, for sure.

C: When does your album come out in the US?

E: It's going to be available on iTunes in the US on June 7. And we'll be hanging out more in the New York City area, but hopefully we'll be touring the states, I mean, that's my dream, really, it would be amazing.

C: See, you don't need to book a vacation, you just need to book a tour in the US!

E: Exactly! That would be really nice!