| Becky Han | |
| Origin: | Arctic Bay, Nunavut |
| Genre: | Acoustic Inuktitut music |
| Occupation: | Singer, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 2006-present[1] |
Becky Han is an Inuk Canadian singer and songwriter, noted for composing original acoustic music in Inuktitut.
Han is originally from Arctic Bay, Nunavut.[1] She first posted videos online as a way to continue sharing her music with her parents after she moved from Nunavut to Brandon, Manitoba, which led to a substantial online following.[1] Han has discussed two motivations for writing and sharing original music in her native language of Inuktitut: to help keep the language alive, and to feel closer to the community she grew up in.[1] Han has built her music career while also working as a stay-at-home mother.[2]
Han won both first and second place in the Nunavut Department of Culture and Heritage's 2016 Qilaut Inuktut children's songwriting contest.[1] One of her songs, "786", won first place, and another of her songs, "Qaariaq", won second place; both songs were co-written with her sister, Tracy May.[3] Han and May's song "6-muaqpat" won second place in the 2019 Qilaut contest, and their song "Piqannarijaq" won fifth place that year.[4] Han had previously placed eighth in the 2015 contest with a song that she co-wrote with Melissa Reid.[5]
In March 2017, Han opened for Tanya Tagaq in Winnipeg during Tagaq's tour.[1] [6] In a 2017 BBC broadcast in which Tagaq played an hour of her favourite music, she included Han's single "Guutiga" among the 15 tracks she selected.[7]
Also in 2017, Han's single "786" was featured by Up Here Magazine in a Nunavut Music Week list of Inuktitut music.[8]
In 2018, Han won first place in the Qikiqtani Inuit Association's contest for the best original song or poem in Inuktitut.[9] The title of Han's winning entry was "Nagligigakkit" (which translates to "because I love you").[10] She placed third in the 2019 QIA contest.[11]
In 2021, Han published The Bee, a picture book based on her award-winning song "Qaariaq".[12]