Pamyua
Pamyua is an Inuit-soul musical group. They are a contemporary group that was formed in April 1995 by Inuit Yup’ik African American brothers Phillip Kilirnguq Blanchett and Steven Qacungatarli Blanchett. The members of the group beyond the Blanchett brothers include Ossie Kairaiuk and Karina Moeller. Fun fact, these brothers are the artists behind the theme song for the PBS Kids show, Molly of Denali. Pamyua is an Inuit word, specifically a Yup’ik word, that means “Encore or Do it again!” The group produces music with traditional Yup’ik and African American elements to create what they call “Inuit Soul.” They use a musical concept to blend Inuit drum/dance melodies with R&B vocal styling and arrangements. The group has gained world recognition as the majority of people are blown away by the dancing. Pamyua tours globally with their international appearances including Russia, China, South Korea, Greenland, Denmark, Norway Iceland, Belgium, Estonia, Chile, Brazil and Canada. My favorite song is “Drum I Carry” which is the linked Youtube video above. Right away, this song put a smile on my face and put me in a good mood. I totally understand why this group has gained so much international popularity between the upbeat music and the amazing visuals. Pamyua has a platform to share and showcase indigenous knowledge and history. Be sure to check out their website and music videos at https://www.pamyua.com/
Sources:
Pamyua, www.pamyua.com/.
“Watch Pamyua, Alaska’s Most Famous Inuit Band: Indie Alaska on PBS Wisconsin. ” PBS Wisconsin, 5 Aug. 2021, pbswisconsin.org/watch/indie-alska/pamyua-alaskas-most-famous-inuit-band-indie-alska-r2do9c/.
This video is amazing. It feels like the summer version of the music video we watched in class. All of the voices are so full and unique, I love the videography, and the outfits in the video are stunning. A highlight is for sure the fur clad woman wielding a neon pink rifle. Also, the setting shifts between the mountains and the hollywood sign is very striking. I am really curious what the drum-like instrument they are playing is called. I would definitely listen to this group more. I looked into them more and the album art for the “Reindeer Herding Song” is really beautiful.
I really enjoyed listening to this song. It was upbeat and catchy with a strong beat. The way they layered their voices over each other created an amazing dynamic, making for a really full, lively sound. They just sounded like they had a lot of love and passion for their music. In the music video, they really communicated their joy for the music and for each other. The visuals from the video were also really interesting – I felt they were an effective mix of traditional and modern elements, which is a great representation of their music. The blending between Inuit drum melodies with a more modern R&B style was really cool – I had never heard something like this before, but it was just such a full, lively sound. While listening, I thought about how this compared to my own selection, Tanya Tagaq’s “Tongues”. It was really cool to see two very different takes on redefining Inuit music traditions. Pamyua mixed different genres together to create an entirely new sound, while Tagaq broke from traditional style and performed by herself. I think I would be more likely to listen to Pamyua’s song in everyday life because I really enjoyed the rich, uplifting sound – it was very catchy and uplifting. “Tongues” was very different, but made a striking statement of defiance and resilience.