Montreal multi-hyphenate rock musician Yves Jarvis was awarded the Polaris Music Prize last night at Toronto’s Massey Hall for his fifth album, All Cylinders, a distinction and $30,000 cash award given to a Canadian album based entirely on artistic merit, versus sales or genre or label affiliation.
“I’m just honoured to be nominated at all. I’m shocked,” Jarvis said, then thanked God “first of all.”
His acceptance speech included a chain of thank yous that included family members (he recorded the record in his parents’ spare room) and career supporters, both musical and business.
“I recorded most of it on no budget,” he said of All Cylinders. “I didn’t even think that it was the record. I didn’t intend to even move back to Montreal. I was in LA. I came back to Montreal. I stayed at my parents, recorded the whole skeleton there and I feel really blessed to be recognized in this way and be an ambassador for Canadian art.”
While the cash prize is down this year from $50,000, the honour and repercussions of having one’s album declared the best of the year is immense. The evening’s host, Haviah Mighty, whose 13th Floor won in 2019, put it in perspective when she first took the stage to emcee the night.
“When people say winning a Polaris can change someone’s life, they are not joking,” she said. “Since my win, I have released two more albums and I’m currently working on the next. I’ve won a Juno, a SOCAN Her Award, a Prism Prize, among many others; have been nominated for cool things like the BET Awards…I’m beyond grateful that Polaris helped launch me into Canadian music industry visibility.”
The packed event for the 20th anniversary of the prestigious prize included performances by nine of the 10 shortlisted artists: Jarvis, Bibi Club, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Marie Davidson, Saya Gray, Nemahsis, The OBGMs, Population II and Ribbon Skirt.
Mustafa — who won the inaugural SOCAN Polaris Song Prize for “Gaza Is Calling,” also based solely on artistic merit and comes with $10,000 — was not in attendance.
Two Slaight Family Heritage Prizes, recognizing Canadian albums that came out before the Polaris Music Prize was created in 2006, went to Jane Siberry’s The Speckless Sky (1985) and The Organ’s Grab That Gun (2004). The Slaight Family Foundation generously donated the prize money to all the winners.
The entire concert and awards was streamed live on CBC and can be watched here.
The Polaris Music Prize is voted on by members of the music media — journalists, bloggers, broadcasters, programmers — this year just over 200 people. The jury members suggested albums throughout the year, then pick their top five in a confidential online vote. The results comprise the 40-album long list from which the same jurors vote again, resulting in the short list. An 11-member grand jury picks the winner in a blind vote.
Much has changed in the 20 years since music industry veteran Steve Jordan founded the Polaris Music Prize, using the U.K.’s Mercury Prize as its model.
In the early days, the grand jury would meet in person over dinner to have an informal debate about the 10 shortlisted picks. Then, the coolest part of all, on the night of the awards, while the performances and congratulatory ceremony was taking place, the jury would convene behind closed doors and have it out, taking two blind votes to come up with the winner. They were not told who won when they were dismissed to join the rest of the audience. The best album was announced at the end of the night. Now, the jury meets online over three sessions.
The venue has also changed from the perfect setting of the Masonic Temple, where the grand jury debated in the “red room,” a former freemasons lodge area with red cushioned wooden throne-like chairs. Where better for a secret meeting? It then went to the Carlu, complete with dinner, where the on-site jury also took place. Now, at the iconic Massey Hall, it was a big move which opened the event up even more to the public. Last night’s event was the biggest attendance Polaris has ever had.
Jarvis, whose real name is Jean-Sébastien Yves Audet, was up against nine other short-listed albums: Bibi Club’s Feu de garde; Lou-Adriane Cassidy’s Journal d’un Loup-Garou; Marie Davidson’s City Of Clowns; Saya Gray’s SAYA; Mustafa’s Dunya; Nemahsis’s Verbathim; The OBGMs’ SORRY, IT’S OVER; Population II’s Maintenant Jamais; and Ribbon Skirt’s Bite Down.
Past winners have ranged from global multi-platinum indie rock act Arcade Fire (for The Suburbs) to throat singer Tanya Taqaq (for Animism). Last year’s winner was Jeremy Dutcher’s Motewolonuwok, sung in the endangered language Maliseet-Passamaquoddy.
