By The Associated Press
- Published Dec. 29, 2019 Updated Jan. 6, 2020
Kelly Fraser, a Canadian singer who gained attention for an Inuit-language cover of Rihanna’s song “Diamonds,” died on Dec. 24 in Winnipeg. She was 26.
Thor Simonsen, her producer, confirmed the death. He provided no other details, but in a statement on Dec. 30, her family said she had committed suicide.
“She was fiercely open with her fans in the hopes that sharing her personal struggles might help them know they were not alone,” Ms. Fraser’s mother, Theresa Angoo, and her six siblings said.
They said she committed suicide after struggling with post-traumatic stress syndrome “as a result of childhood traumas, racism and persistent cyberbullying,” adding that Ms. Fraser “was actively seeking help and spoke openly about her personal challenges online and through her journey.”
Ms. Fraser, who grew up in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, and was living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, released “Isuma,” her debut album, in 2014. She released “Sedna” in 2017 and was nominated for indigenous music album of the year at the Junos, Canada’s annual music awards.
She became known for writing songs in Inuktitut, an Inuit language, and translating songs into the language. She often mixed English and Inuktitut in her recordings and blended traditional Inuit sounds and themes with contemporary pop.
By doing so, Mr. Simonsen said, she sought to “use pop music as a platform to strengthen her language.”
A video of her version of “Diamonds” was widely viewed online.
She also hoped to raise awareness among younger generations of the history of the Inuit people.
In a 2017 statement that accompanied the release of “Sedna,” Ms. Fraser said the album’s goal was to heal those suffering from the results of colonization, including the “damaging effects of residential school and forced relocation.”
“There is a great need for Inuit artists to directly speak to those affected from the past,” she added.
Mr. Simonsen said she was working on a third album, “Decolonize,” at the time of her death. Correction: Jan. 6, 2020
An earlier version of this obituary misstated the date of Ms. Fraser’s death. It was Dec. 24, not Dec. 26.A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 7, 2020, Section B, Page 10 of the New York edition with the headline: Kelly Fraser, 26, Artist Who Gave Pop Music an Inuit Voice. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
via NYTImes.com
