Sometimes Andrew Morrison felt as if his Nunavut-based rock band the Jerry Cans was suffocated by the expectations put upon them.

Twice nominated at the Juno Awards, including for breakthrough group of the year, the Northern Canadian act was a rarity in the homegrown music scene SA国际影视传媒� a group of white and Inuk musicians performing in a harmony of throat singing and folk elements.

Yet their successes came with frequent SA国际影视传媒渂attlesSA国际影视传媒� over identity as CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 music industry tried to shape them to a certain mould, Morrison explained in a phone conversation from his Iqaluit home about a new solo project.

One of the greatest fights involved forces who thought it was better to sing mostly in English, rather than Inuktitut, on national stages and their albums.

SA国际影视传媒淪ometimes it was overt and sometimes it was subtle,SA国际影视传媒� Morrison said of the pushback to their language roots.

SA国际影视传媒淐BC, marketing people, radio. Everyone was like, SA国际影视传媒榃hat about English?SA国际影视传媒� And we were like, SA国际影视传媒楴o thatSA国际影视传媒檚 not what this thing is about,SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� he said, adding that he believes some progress has been made since those experiences.

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 been years since the band performed live SA国际影视传媒� most recently just before COVID-19 closures. Shortly after sole Inuk member Nancy Mike departed, their tour was cancelled due to the pandemic. They decided an open-ended SA国际影视传媒渉iatusSA国际影视传媒� was best for everyone.

But Morrison never intended to stop making music. If anything, the 37-year-old wanted to break out of the box he felt the music industry trapped the Jerry Cans inside for so long.

Doing so required him to confront a few crucial questions about himself, in particular: was it acceptable for a white singer to make a solo album in English and Inuktitut?

For a while, he wavered on the answer.

SA国际影视传媒淢any times I wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 going to release this,SA国际影视传媒� he explained of his solo debut, SA国际影视传媒淓uphemisms,SA国际影视传媒� issued in January under the name Echoes OfSA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淐ontroversy about SA国际影视传媒榳hite dudeSA国际影视传媒� and all this stuff was definitely punching me down.SA国际影视传媒�

Growing up in Iqaluit, Morrison made his foray into music as part of a childhood fiddle group before getting acquainted with his edgier side in a high school punk band. After graduation, he and his friends moved south to Peterborough, Ont., for their post-secondary education, forming the Jerry Cans in the mid-aughts.

Most of them dropped out, and upon their return to Iqaluit, they focused on their musical dreams.

Around 2012, local throat singer Mike joined the Jerry Cans, giving the band its defining characteristic. It helped elevate them to new levels of fame, which included a slot on the 2018 Juno Awards broadcast.

She was also crucial to MorrisonSA国际影视传媒檚 learning of Inuktitut, which he says he studied in university and wrote songs in to understand better. When the two began dating, he immersed himself in the language under the orders of her late father.

But the more success the Jerry Cans found, Morrison said, the further they seemed drawn from why they pursued music in the first place.

SA国际影视传媒淎t certain points, we got away from our core values,SA国际影视传媒� he acknowledged.

SA国际影视传媒淲e would get critiqued from small communities in Nunavut (saying) that we never played there. And I think thatSA国际影视传媒檚 a valid critique.SA国际影视传媒�

When Mike left the band, and the remaining members decided on their hiatus, Morrison began to seek advice from those around him about his next steps.

SA国际影视传媒楳usical heroSA国际影视传媒�

One of his most important advisers was James Ungalaq, a member of the seminal Iglulik rock act Northern Haze and a SA国际影视传媒渕usical heroSA国际影视传媒� of his since childhood.

When UngalaqSA国际影视传媒檚 band rose to fame in the 1980s, he was afforded an unparalleled perspective on the music scene in the North and its relationship with the rest of the country.

Morrison recalls how protective Ungalaq was of the local community when the two connected years ago as the Jerry Cans were on the rise.

It took many thoughtful discussions, and a passage of time, to solidify their bond.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e musicians, we would talk about everything,SA国际影视传媒� Ungalaq remembers of the early days.

SA国际影视传媒淲e both struggled with racism SA国际影视传媒� Our cultures, they clash and some people get hurt along the way.SA国际影视传媒�

Those interactions led to friendship and by the time Morrison was shaping his first solo album, Ungalaq was deep into retirement. It took a little coaxing for him to return to the studio.

SA国际影视传媒淚 said, SA国际影视传媒楬ey, man, letSA国际影视传媒檚 just sing together and see what happens,SA国际影视传媒� Morrison recalls.

SA国际影视传媒淏ut then we really enjoyed it.SA国际影视传媒�

Their Inuktitut-language collaboration SA国际影视传媒淚nurulutuinnaujugukSA国际影视传媒� forms the soul of MorrisonSA国际影视传媒檚 album. Together with Ungalaq, performing under the name Qiyuapik, they sing about the SA国际影视传媒渒eepers of songs,SA国际影视传媒� who upon the arrival of white people found that SA国际影视传媒渢he songs changed.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 only human,SA国际影视传媒� they sing, according to a translated version provided by Morrison.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e only human.SA国际影视传媒�

Those sentiments get to the heart of how Ungalaq describes feeling these days about the future of his community in the North.

SA国际影视传媒淧ointing at each other is the past,SA国际影视传媒� he said of laying blame for years of injustice.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e starting a new generation and I think weSA国际影视传媒檙e on the right foot, stepping forward together. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 really important to have my friend Andrew feel the same thing too.SA国际影视传媒�

Much of SA国际影视传媒淓uphemismsSA国际影视传媒� is a collaboration between Morrison and other Arctic musicians, including GreenlandSA国际影视传媒檚 Naja P and Iglulik artist Terry Uyarak.

With an ambient-rock edge, the songs address an array of issues, such as conflicts with the government and NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 staggering suicide rates.

By design, the 10 tracks veer from moments of tranquillity to crashes of rage that recall MorrisonSA国际影视传媒檚 punk days. He said the unpredictable turns were meant to play like a rejection of the SA国际影视传媒済enre pressuresSA国际影视传媒� the music industry thrust upon the Jerry Cans for so long.

SA国际影视传媒淚 missed screaming about stuff,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Morrison hopes Echoes OfSA国际影视传媒� and the SA国际影视传媒淓uphemismsSA国际影视传媒� album play a role in encouraging other musicians to lean back into speaking out on subjects that matter.

He sees SA国际影视传媒渁 major lack of critical voicesSA国际影视传媒� in popular music today, and fears the protest song might be dead, even though heSA国际影视传媒檚 certain listeners want them in todaySA国际影视传媒檚 turbulent world.

SA国际影视传媒淚 really believe in the importance of northern artists inspiring and expressing these very critical points of view,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淎nd as an artist, I simply represent that mixed bag of chaos in this city.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒擝y David Friend, The Canadian Press