Nunavut Artists Collaborate with AI to Create Inuktitut Song in the Style of David Bowie
March 3, 2023
IQALUIT, NUNAVUT - Nunavut artists Agaaqtoq and Thor Simonsen have teamed up with an artificial intelligence (AI) program, Chat GPT, to create an original song in the style of the iconic musician David Bowie.
Stream the song on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube
The song, titled "Gitaralauq Sulusiaq," – supposedly meaning “guitar players, let's dance” – was written entirely in Inuktitut, an indigenous language spoken in Nunavut, Canada's northernmost territory.
The AI program was given specific instructions to create a catchy pop song with an ABAB rhyming pattern and lyrics about a man traveling through space to find other musicians who play instruments. The resulting tune and lyrics are a unique fusion of modern technology and traditional Inuit culture.
Stream the song on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube
When the Inuktitut lyrics were generated, it included English translations. However, the artists initially thought the Inuktitut was Greenlandic, since it sounded like Inuktitut but didn’t make any sense. After consulting with Greenlandic speakers, they realized the lyrics were a strange kind of Inuktitut gibberish.
The album arwork was also generated using AI, and the entire creative process, from the initial instruction given to the AI program to the final recording of the song, took place in Ottawa, and was captured on film by award-winning photojournalist Ed Ou.
The footage shows the interactions between the artists and the AI program, as well as the technical aspects of creating a song using AI technology. The project highlights the possibilities of using AI in music creation and celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of Inuktitut, Nunavut's rich cultural heritage, and Canadian artistic innovation.
In conclusion, the collaboration between Agaaqtoq, Thor Simonsen, and the AI program to create "Gitaralauq Sulusiaq" showcases the power of human creativity and technology to create something truly unique and beautiful. The resulting song is now available on streaming platforms everywhere. It’s a testament to the endless possibilities of modern technology.
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About Hitmakerz
Founded in 2016, Hitmakerz is a full-service record label based in Nunavut. Specializing in creating world-class Inuit and Indigenous music, Hitmakerz has studios in Iqaluit, Ottawa, and Toronto. A social enterprise, their mission is to create viable careers in the arts for Inuit and Indigenous artists through music, media, and education, as well as to empower artists to share their stories and strengthen their culture. For more information, go to hitmakerz.com