Yellowknife’s Quantum Tangle has been nominated for a Juno award in the category of Indigenous music album of the year.
The group, which consists of Grey Gritt and Tiffany Ayalik, was nominated for its album Tiny Hands.
LISTEN: Grey Gritt performs live on 100.1 the Moose
Both Gritt and Ayalik have deep roots in Yellowknife.
Ayalik, who is Inuit, was born in the city, while Gritt, who’s Oji-Métis, has lived and performed in Yellowknife for years now.
Their sound is often described as unique since it blends two very different styles of music, meshing Ayalik’s traditional Inuit song and dance with soulful blues from Gritt.
Gritt says the pair only came together three years ago, making this year’s nomination that much sweeter.
“I’m a bit in disbelief,” they told 100.1 the Moose shortly after they’d become aware of the nomination. “I almost dropped my phone on my face. I’m speechless right now, actually.
“Individually, we’ve been working towards something this big for a long time, but joining forces it does seem pretty amazing for us just being itty bitty babies in the music industry as Quantum Tangle.”
Nomination not possible without NACC
Gritt admits the duo’s nomination wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Yellowknife’s Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC).
The award-winning artist has been a part of NACC’s Mentorship Program for four years now – a program that’s designed to help local emerging artists reach their full potential.
“When it comes to the mentorship, you get out of it what you put into it,” Gritt said.
“We might’ve been able to do this on our own, maybe. But the point is we didn’t do it on our own, we didn’t have to because we had NACC.”
Quantum Tangle is currently putting the finishing touches on another album set to drop later this year.
This year’s Juno Awards will be held in Ottawa on Apr. 2.
