The second album by songwriter and ethnomusicologist Jeremy Dutcher, titled Motewolonuwok, won him the Polaris Music Prize on Tuesday evening, awarded to the best Canadian album of the year.
At Massey Hall in Toronto, the self-identified “two-spirit” artist took the stage to accept the prestigious award for the second time in his career. “In 2018, it’s his first album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, who had won the hearts of the judges. The tenor became the first artist to win the honors twice, which come with a $50,000 purse.
Unlike his first album — entirely in Wolastoq — Motewolonuwok is divided into two parts, one of which is in English. In an interview with The Duty In 2023, the artist had spoken about his desire to make his music more accessible in this second proposal. His jazz-sounding album was released in October 2023 and is described by the record label Secret City Records as “experimental pop that acts as restorative medicine”.
Based in Montreal since the pandemic, the artist is originally from the Maliseet nation (Wolastoqiyik). His album, in his words, “is about duality” and does not spare the listener. Some of the lyrics are loaded with history, but everything is told beautifully thanks to the rich voice of the tenor trained at Dalhousie University.
To award the prize, the jury, composed of 11 members of the Canadian music community, had to choose between the 40 artists selected in the previous round by a grand jury of more than 200 people. At the end of the discussions, ten artists were chosen as finalists for the Polaris Music Prize. Among them, four Quebec artists or groups: Charlotte Cardin, Elisapie, Allison Russell and the punk-rock group NOBRO. The choices are made without giving importance to the musical style or the commercial popularity of the album.
Several artists nominated for the award took to the stage for a short performance at the event, which was not broadcast live but will be available for replay starting October 2. Charlotte Cardin, who was scheduled to perform, unfortunately had to cancel her performance after testing positive for COVID-19. “I am bedridden and very disappointed that I will not be able to attend the Polaris Gala tonight,” she wrote on her Instagram page.
The 19e The award was held for the second year in a row at Massey Hall, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year.
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