Maya Cook’s journey into music was paved by her path as a multidisciplinary artist. As a circus performer with Artcirq, the renowned performing arts collective in Igloolik, Nunavut, Maya has spent years expressing herself with dynamic acrobatics and sharply crafted storytelling. Her debut album salt, recorded at Aakuluk Music Studios in Iqaluit, Nunavut, is a testament to her artistry in a different medium—one that swings between the soulful melodies of soft jazz and the infectious energy of folk rock.

Maya’s artist identity is shaped by her two lives, one in Vancouver, BC, and the other in Igloolik, Nunavut. The influence of these two worlds in her music has been both spontaneous and transformative. “It sometimes feels like I’m two separate people” she says. “I have these strong ties to the Salish Sea where I grew up, and my family and friends who hold me there, as well as to the land and community in Igloolik. Sometimes that feels like it’s splitting me in half, but really, it’s through living in Igloolik that I came to recognize and appreciate the strength of connection I have to where I’m from. Creating art, both circus and music, has been a profound way of exploring how all of my pieces are woven together, within myself and in my relationships with the land and people around me”.

The album’s lead single, “Answers”, sets the tone for salt as a whole. A sharply beautiful and rhythmic track that explores the tension between one’s desires and what one really needs, it is run through with an undercurrent of quiet strength. Capturing Maya’s ability to weave emotion and storytelling into her music, “Answers” is both a question and a declaration, inviting listeners to feel deeply as she reaches for what is just below the surface.

salt brings together Maya’s reflective nature and her curious spirit, offering listeners a vivid sonic landscape inspired by a life in coastal BC and steeped in the Arctic’s contrasts—its beauty and challenges, warmth and cold. The album’s eight tracks each reveal a piece of her world and her heart. Themes of healing, introspection, connection, and community, run through the record. Songs like ”Metal In My Bones” channel the quiet contemplation of rainy Vancouver nights, while tracks like ”Silarjuaq” pulse with raw energy and defiance, fueled by the beauty and vibrance of the tundra. Maya’s voice, rich and emotive, soft and silky, guides listeners through her world, blending seamlessly with instrumentation that mirrors the rhythm of life in the North.

For Maya, salt is more than an album; it’s an exploration of the balance in-between: in-between north and south, hurt and healing, strength and softness… it’s the spaces between our bodies and where sky and ocean meet. “salt is an album about that which connects us to our bodies, to the ocean, and to one another. Writing these songs have been my way of sitting with and feeling how hard, but also how incredibly beautiful, this world is.” she reflects. With this debut, Maya proves she is an emerging voice in the Nunavut music scene.

salt was produced by Jace Lasek, the renowned producer behind acclaimed albums by Aasiva, Terry Uyarak, and The Jerry Cans. Lasek’s expertise shines through, seamlessly blending Maya’s unique voice and artistic vision with rich, atmospheric production. His ability to bring out the depth and texture in northern artists’ music makes salt a stunning addition to the legacy of projects he’s helped shape, further amplifying the soundscape of the Arctic.

Recorded under the crisp fall skies in Iqaluit, salt is a love letter to the North, to the Salish Sea, and to all the water in-between that connects them. It is an invitation to share in Maya’s vision of resilience and beauty, to close your eyes, and to feel the rhythm of the tides under your skin.