A scene from North of North.jasper savage/CBC/APTN/Netflix
One of the hottest new television shows of the year is North of North, which just got renewed for its second season on CBC, APTN and Netflix. The Nunavut-set comedy stars Anna Lambe as Siaja, a plucky, young Inuk mother.
In a supporting role is the show’s soundtrack, which mixes originals songs and Inuktitut covers by Inuk artists with classic pop recorded by Britney Spears, Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette and more.
North of North music supervisor Michael Perlmutter, who just won a Canadian Sync Award for best soundtrack in a comedy series, spoke to The Globe and Mail about the unique role the music plays in connecting north and south.
You collaborated with North of North show runners Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril on the show’s music concept. Can you talk about those early discussions?
Early on, it felt like music was going to be a character. It wasn’t an afterthought. They wanted to work with Inuk artists, and show the Inuit music world to the rest of the world. We also wanted to show that an Inuit community was still connected with the rest of world. So, we used songs by Britney Spears, Caroline Polachek, Alanis Morissette, the list goes on.
What about using music to support characters, such as the lead, Siaja?
The idea was to create a fun, upbeat, female-centric mix. Siaja is an independent Inuk woman, super fun and super driven. We were connecting a lot of dots through her character. So we have Riit’s cover of Dua Lipa’s Levitating and Angela Amarualik‘s cover of Kelis’s Milkshake. And you’re probably familiar with Elisapie, who covers Stevie Nicks’s Dreams.
I did notice a character wearing an Elisapie T-shirt. Her Inuktitut version of Dreams was previously recorded, but, elsewhere, you had Inuk musicians recording covers specifically for the show. How common is that?
I don’t know if it’s standard in the business, but in the last five or ten years I think you’re seeing it a bit more. For each one, we find the right artist, we find a producer and we have a creative conversation on how we want it to sound. Riit’s Levitating turned out to be super cool.
There are time constraints as well, right?
It’s a creative choice, if you have the time. And we had it. That’s the key. But it all depends on the project. With this show, it was hand in glove
Using a song is one thing, covering it in a different language is another. How hard was it to secure the rights for the songs?
We wrote the rightsholders long letters about what we were doing and what the show is about. We also sent lyrics in Inuktitut that had been translated. In the case of Levitating, we had to get Dua Lipa’s approval and also the approval of the other songwriters. They were really excited about the idea.
Did the Netflix money allow you to afford all these songs? How big was the song licensing budget?
That’s a state secret. I would say that there was a budget. Because we had incredible support from all three networks involved, we were able to afford these songs. The cost is not as astronomical as you may think. We let them know we have X amount of dollars. We negotiate with them. We explain what the show is about. This was a project people could get behind.
You say people. Do you think the Dua Lipas and Alanis Morisettes are involved in the process, or is it their managers, labels and publishers?
We know Dua Lipa saw the request. We think Alanis knew about it. Caroline Polachek’s camp seemed excited by it.
Now that the show is a hit and has been renewed for a second season, does the dynamic shift? Are you getting pitched by publishers now?
Publishers, labels, mothers, daughters, dog walkers, friends, cousins, they all want to be on a successful show. I’ve had emails already, suggesting a playlist for the second season. I’m not really responding to those just yet.
Let’s discuss the creative thinking behind a couple of the songs, starting with Levitating, in the first episode.
You’re coming into the show. You’re seeing the North for the first time and it’s beautiful. We wanted something that reflected Siaja’s state of mind. She’s full of hope and full of love. She wants to celebrate life.
How about the string quartet cover of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know?
Siaja has what might be a fever dream. She’s running toward a man, and we have this beautiful, romantic piece supporting that scene. We’re having a little fun with it, but it’s not necessarily ironic.
The show’s use of music reminds me of Northern Exposure. But where that show had a theme song, yours doesn’t. Why not?
What Stacey and Alethea wanted to do was use a different theme song every episode, whether it plays for five seconds at the beginning or whether it rolls into the next scene for another 15 seconds. It’s all to give it a different flavour and a different feel. Not that there’s anything wrong with the same 30-second song every episode. We just wanted a surprise of some kind. You don’t know what you’re going to get.
This interview was edited and condensed.
