The latest season of Amplify is one that will pull on your heartstrings. The new season showcases several Indigenous musicians on songwriting journeys for the series, sharing their music with the audience.
Hailing from Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Inuk throat singer and musician, Qattuu, is showcased in the sixth episode of Amplify, directed by asinnajaq. The episode features Qattuu, who released her debut solo album Midnight Sun in 2023, as she opens up to the audience to share the inspiration behind her new song, discusses her musical journey, and more.
Ahead of the episode’s release, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the Ontario-based singer about what it was like to be featured on Amplify, filming alongside her family, the impact that music has played in her life, and the importance of the song she wrote for the episode.
Watch the full interview with Qattuu below:
The songwriting process is a daunting task. Still, Qattuu was up to the challenge when she was asked to participate in this season of Amplify by friend and director, asinnajaq.
“I was in my living room, and I got a call from a really good friend of mine. Her name is asinnajaq. She’s so kind. I’ve worked with her before. And I picked up the phone. I hadn’t heard from her in a while, and we caught up, and then she asked me if I wanted to do an episode. And I was like, ‘What? Are you serious?’ And she said, yeah, here’s the budget, if you could write an original song,” Qattuu shared.
“I just felt very, very lucky to have been asked that. I know there’s a lot of other artists, but I was just like, oh my gosh, you asked me I would love to do that asinnajaq,” she said.
Regarding the song itself, Qattuu said that she wrote it in the schoolyard after dropping her daughter off one day. As for the topics, the guidance given was to create a song that was personal and addressed an issue that “matters to your heart.”
“I wrote this song in my daughter’s schoolyard, actually. When I dropped her off to school, I sat down and I was like, ‘Alright, I have to stop procrastinating.’ And I just – what came to mind was just like, you know, people seem tired. I’m going to write a song about that. And so, I literally just started writing in the parking lot, in my little book. And, yeah, it was amazing,” Qattuu said.
She continued, “Jason, who was one of the producers or managers, when we were on a call. I think the theme that he told me that he would like me to write within was about issues that matter to your heart. For example, Beatrice Deer wrote about, I believe it was like the effects of residential school and things like that. So something a little bit more, not sombre, but like more real things that you know we can relate to. And so this came to mind. But it was very much like what you feel. You do it. You are the artist. You have the direction which I really appreciated.”
As a musician and music lover, Qattuu shared how music has been there for her in times when she is going thorugh a lot. The song featured in her episode of Amplify is called, sanininiaqtunga (which translates to I will be by your side in English), is something that she hopes others will feel when they listen to the song.
“For sure, I have. In moments where I feel like I’m going through a lot, music definitely helps me. Like, I can I can relate to lyrics, and then I just get lost within music. And so I really hope this song, sanininiaqtunga, which means I will be by your side – that’s what it means in English. That’s what I really hope people will take out of this, is that just exactly what you said, you know, like, I’ll be there for you,” Qattuu shared.
Qattuu’s episode of Amplify is now available on APTN Lumi, you can watch the official music video for sanininiaqtunga below!
Muses of Media 
Leave a comment