[Cover photo credit to Alexi Hobbs]
Singer/songwriter Beatrice Deer has released new single + visualizer, “Arranged.” The Indie Rock track features Johnny Saunders and “draws from Inuit history, reflecting on the once-common practice of arranged marriages.”
The song “echoes stories passed down by Elders: a young couple meeting as strangers and learning to respect one another, eventually growing into a deep, enduring love.” The result is a “meditation on tradition, strength, and the unexpected tenderness that can rise from even the most challenging beginnings.”
Beatrice Deer says:
“There are many, many stories from our Elders who were betrothed from birth and had to honor the agreement made by their parents when they came of age in spite of their deep dismay. Stories of young men and women who’ve never seen each other were made to marry each other. In many of these rough beginnings are stories of learning to respect each other and their vows, and eventually love each other deeply until the very end.
Making this track was fun because it’s kind of a unique story about difficult arranged marriages turning into happy endings. I wrote it in first person perspective imagining how the woman and the man felt about the arrangement their parents made. Then on the recording side, it was a challenge because I needed an Inuk male singer for the duet that can deliver vocally with the right vibe. All the Inuit men singers aren’t based in Montreal. Luckily Johnny Saunders from Kuujjuaq was in Montreal for an event and was free one afternoon so I grabbed him and took him to the studio. I’m so very happy with how the song turned out. I hope listeners who are going through a rough patch in their relationship will be inspired to work through their differences and disagreements and work things out, unless it’s abusive. If it is, leave and go find the right one to spend forever with.”
Beatrice Deer is an Inuit singer-songwriter based in Montreal. Half Inuk and half Mohawk, Beatrice was born and raised in Nunavik, Quebec, in the small village of Quaqtaq. Her songs blend Indie Rock and modern Folk with traditional Inuit stories and throat singing.
Deer has performed worldwide, from the Venice Biennale to Norway’s Førde Traditional and World Music Festival to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Her bandmates and collaborators, all longstanding members of Montreal’s music community, have worked with acts such as Leif Vollebekk, Land of Talk, Stars, The Barr Brothers, Bell Orchestre, Little Scream, The Besnard Lakes, and Suuns.
Beyond her musical talents, Beatrice Deer’s contributions to the arts community were honoured when she was named “Woman of the Year” by The Montreal Council of Women in 2023. And in the same year, due to her skill in fashion, she was commissioned to tailor an outfit for Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, for the coronation of King Charles III.
