Jacob Okatsiak first heard music at church. His whole family was musical and he remembers hearing the beat of drums as he clapped and tapped along. His late father played guitar and he wanted to be as good as him. He started with small steps, learning a few bar chords, strumming along and realized at a young age, music was his life.
On advice from his grandma, Okatsiak is helping as many people as he can, whenever he can. Students use his music in schools across the North to identify with what they know. Adults relate too, with catchy beats and great wordplay. This young artist is following in a long line of musical performance history and is modernizing drum beats to tell the universal stories people can relate to.
“I just want to help everyone,” said Okatsiak.
Growing up in Arviat, there wasn’t a huge music scene. His grandma told him to be useful and helpful to others. When he was in his teens, he and his buddies talked about “doing music.” They liked the rappers who expressed their emotions. Something he and his young friends could relate to.
“We liked all kinds of music, including rap.”
They tried to find others who were involved in music, had equipment and knew how to use it. They experimented with beats and memorized lyrics to record over them. They started getting better and the whole community was very supportive. He kept learning, eventually picking up bass, drums and piano.
“Music is like therapy. I know a lot of people who connect and relate to it.”
He figured out what he loved most about music, were the words and how they made him feel. He started to write but felt nervous to express himself. He was inspired by other northern artists sharing their experiences and started writing slowly, from the heart. This led to more words, more songs and more confidence.
“Start with what you have and do what you have to do in order to achieve your dreams,” his grandma told him.
Okatsiak loves bridging old traditions with new ones. He blends Inuktitut with English and tries to adapt to local dialects as he starts to perform in communities all over the North and beyond. He says no matter where he goes, people respond to the same thing, emotion.
“Music is like therapy. I know a lot of people who connect and relate to it.”
His thought-provoking lyrics about loss, isolation and the hardships of growing up in the North are big themes in his music. Talk of suicide, addiction and mental health help those who may not have the means or interest to seek professional help. He’s trying to help others through connection. Something music always did for him and his friends.
Now 23, he is a veteran of the emerging do it yourself music scene in the North. He tries to balance his life between music, work, family and friends. He’s always writing new songs and working on a new album and his own record label. He wants to continue to be active, inspire and help those who are trying to make a name for themselves as artists.
“I want to reach as many people as possible, in whatever way possible.”
His presence and brand are growing. He is very active on Facebook, SoundCloud
and YouTube, reaching people from areas he never thought possible. He’s performing again post Covid, across the North and beyond and the reception has been beyond what he could have imagined.
He hears from people young and old about his songs. He’s happy to see the scene growing and the confidence it gives young people. He loves hearing people sing along, appreciate and relate to his words.
“It’s amazing seeing young and old connecting to my music. Elders come up to me crying, they relate to my music on a different level.”
New artists and labels are popping up all over Nunavut. Old traditions are merging with new ones, reinforcing the importance of music and the arts to his people. An easy therapy to help heal generational trauma lingering in small hamlets all over the North. The beats he samples, an extension of the drum and guitar Okatsiak heard as a young man in church with his family.
The biggest challenges aren’t writing songs, looping beats or even finding audiences. It’s getting to these remote communities, with small populations and the expenses add up. Okatsiak doesn’t let any of it hold him back. He’s planning tours starting in October.
“I’m trying to get to as many communities as possible.”
HItmakerz, the record label representing Okatsiak, also works with over 30 other Northern artists. Founded in 2016, it’s gone on to become a full production company helping Inuit artists manage everything from media, to album production and touring.
“I just want to entertain and help as many people as I can.”
Okatsiak plans to keep making music and touring when it’s possible. He’s thankful for Canada Council for the Arts and grants from the Government of Nunavut so he can continue to grow and manage his career.
