piqsiq

Biography

PIQSIQ is an Inuit-style throat singing duo composed of sisters Tiffany Kuliktana Ayalik and Kayley Inuksuk Mackay, who grew up in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, with deep roots in Nunavut's Kitikmeot and Kivalliq regions. They began throat singing as young children, around age five, as a playful pastime during camping trips and family gatherings with cousins, maintaining strong cultural ties through frequent visits to Nunavut during spring breaks, summers, and Christmases. This early exposure, amid the environmental extremes of endless summer sunlight and prolonged winter darkness, shaped their haunting aesthetic, while learning about the colonial suppression of Inuit practices—including church shaming, government bans, fines, and detainment that nearly eradicated throat singing by the 1960s—reframed it for them as a political act of resistance, decolonization, and cultural revitalization.[1][2][3][4]

Their career developed through dedicated practice and innovation, blending ancient traditional songs, mythological stories, and original eerie compositions with live improvisational looping for dynamic performances that vary each show. Their debut EP, Altering The Timeline, emerged from a spontaneous 2019 jam at Calgary Folk Festival and was produced by Ruby Singh (also known as Ruby Sing) in Vancouver's Afterlife Studios, featuring tracks like the traditional 'River' fused with entrancing beats. Performing nationally and internationally, they create otherworldly soundscapes galvanized by northern beauty, leaving audiences pondering profound existential questions.[1][2][3][4]

PIQSIQ's legacy lies in revitalizing throat singing as a living, evolving art form that bonds people and counters historical erasure, incorporating land-based themes and ethereal recordings while navigating their blended backgrounds in a modern context. They emphasize its role beyond music—as a cultural practice resilient against colonization—performing to enthral listeners with complex emotional landscapes reflective of Inuit resourcefulness and northern phenomena.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• The name 'PIQSIQ' refers to a unique storm where winds blow snow back up towards the sky, mirroring their otherworldly sound.[1]
• They started throat singing around age five as a fun game during camping, not initially taking it seriously.[1][4]
• Their debut EP sparked from a spontaneous jam by the Bow River at Calgary Folk Festival, where producer Ruby Singh beatboxed to their traditional song 'River'.[4]
• Throat singing for them is a 'political act of cultural revitalization' responding to its near-extinction through colonial bans and church shaming.[1][3][4]

Members

• Tiffany Ayalik
• Inuksuk Mackay

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Ruby Singh - producer and looper who beatboxed during initial jam session and produced debut EP (Altering The Timeline EP) [2019]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz