Thor Simonsen

Thor Simonsen (Inuktitut: ᓯᕙᓂᖅᑎ) is a Danish-Canadian hip-hop MC, rapper, songwriter and producer, born November 5th, 1987 in Copenhagen, Denmark to Faroese parents and based out of Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. He is the founder of the Nunavut Hitmakerz, performing with lyrics in Inuktitut, Føroyskt and English. Originally from the Farao Islands, and raised in Copenhagen the Son of a Classical and Jazz musician, Thor grew up in Iqaluit, Nunavut where he emigrated to with his family at the age of 7. He returned to the Faroe Islands at age 17. During his time in Tórshavn, he released his first solo album, “International”, which was nominated for a Planet Award in 2006. The album received mixed reviews, but it led to Thor becoming a songwriter and guest rapper in the pop group Faroe 5. In 2012, Thor returned to Nunavut to work a normal job. There, he began in earnest to begin producing artists and gearing up for a professional career in music. In 2016, he began production on the Juno Award nominated album, Sedna, with Inuit artist Kelly Fraser. Thor and Kelly also created Nunavut Hitmakerz, a series of workshops travelling to remote communities around the territory, teaching song-writing and music production skills, and donating recording studios to each community. In 2017, Thor released his sophomore album, Territorial, which gathered a strong, local following. Thor continued to discover and produce albums for upcoming Inuit artists, including Aasiva, Angela Amarualik, the pop-collective, Ajungi, and many more. At the same time, he created Hitmakerz, a record label dedicated to developing Nunavut artists, creating world-class pop music, and putting Canada – with its cool northern sound – back on the musical world map.