ICA Gala 2025

Elisapie’s unconditional attachment to her territory and her language, Inuktitut, remains at the
core of her creative journey. Born and raised in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik which is only
accessible by plane, Elisapie is an emblematic Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter. Since winning
her first Juno Award in 2005 with her band Taima, Elisapie’s body of work has been praised
many times.

On September 15th 2023, Elisapie unveiled Inuktitut, her fourth solo record. On this album, the
Inuk artist covers ten classic rock and pop songs ranging from the 1960’s to the 90’s translated
into Inuktitut, her mother tongue. The result is an emotional, autobiographical soundtrack where
each song is associated with a loved one or an intimate story. Acclaimed by audiences and
critics alike, Inuktitut is the artist’s second album to land a shortlist nomination for the Polaris
Music Prize. Its success also earned Elisapie a Juno Award in the Contemporary Indigenous
Artist of the Year category, as well as five awards at the 2024 ADISQ Gala, and allowed her to
play over 70 concerts in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. She also just got nominated for this
year’s upcoming Juno Awards for Best Album of the year, as well as for Best Adult Alternative
Album of the year.

Aside from her musical career, Elisapie is known for creating and producing documentaries and
the first Canada-wide broadcast TV show to celebrate the National Indigenous Peoples’ Day,
called Le Grand Solstice. She was also honored with a Canada Post stamp.

Always surrounded by the best musicians from the Montreal indie and folk scenes, Elisapie
makes her culture resonate with finesse by mixing modernity and tradition.

DJ Jazzy Jeff is a renowned DJ, music producer, and entrepreneur with a thriving career that spans more than three decades. Jeff’s rich legacy in music includes a DMC Championship, an EMMY Award, multiple GRAMMY Awards, American Music Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and multiple nominations. Introduced to the world as one half of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, his accomplishments extend beyond his multi-platinum, Grammy-winning collaborations with Will Smith. Notable is his acclaimed production company, A Touch of Jazz, credited for work with Michael Jackson, Jill Scott, Darius Rucker, and more. In 2015, he founded the PLAYLIST Retreat, an invitation-only event that brings artists together to inspire, motivate, and fuel collaboration.

Prior to 2020, DJ Jazzy Jeff performed all over the globe and chronicled his travels in his Vinyl Destination web series. And when a global pandemic forced the world into lockdown, Jeff moved the party, literally, in-house with his signature livestream series, The Magnificent House Party.