Feist Has Won The 2012 Polaris Music Prize For "Metals"
Feist has won the 2012 Polaris Music Prize for her Metals album, besting the nine other albums on the Polaris Short List. 2011 Polaris Prize winners Jeremy Gara and Tim Kingsbury of Arcade Fire made the announcement at the conclusion of this evening’s Gala.
The Prize, which goes to the best Canadian album of the year based on “artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation,” was determined by a Grand Jury of 11 music media professionals drawn from the greater Polaris jury pool of over 200 writers, editors, broadcasters, DJs and personalities from across the country.
“I haven’t had a second to consider how to talk about this yet,” said Feist in a statement, “but what I want to say is thank you to the people who really listened to my record. I’m genuinely grateful from one solitary listener to another. Honestly, thanks.”
Held at the Concert Hall Studios at Bell Media’s Masonic Temple in downtown Toronto, Feist took home $30,000. The other nine short list nominees were awarded $2,000 by Slaight Music.
The evening included performances by Feist and Short List nominees Cadence Weapon, Cold Specks, Kathleen Edwards, Fucked Up, Grimes and YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN. Members of Handsome Furs were also in attendance. The event was streamed live on Muchmusic.com and broadcasted live on SiriusXM radio (Sirius channels 151 and 152; XM channel 151) and CBC Radio 3.
Highlights from the gala will air in a one-hour special, exclusively on MuchMusic, on Saturday, September 29 at 10 p.m. ET.
The 2012 Polaris Music Prize Short List was:
Cadence Weapon – Hope In Dirt City
Cold Specks – I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
Drake – Take Care
Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur
Feist – Metals
Fucked Up – David Comes To Life
Grimes – Visions
Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
Japandroids – Celebration Rock
YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN – YT//ST
The gala was hosted by CBC Radio 3’s Grant Lawrence and MuchMusic’s Lauren Toyota.
The Grand Jury who decided the winner included Gregory Adams (Georgia Straight), Michael Barclay (Maclean’s, Radio Free Canuckistan), Chris Bilton (The Grid), Ryan Bresee (CKCU 93.1fm), Lisa Christiansen (CBC Radio 1), Shawn Conner (The Snipe News), Melissa Hetu (TFO), Kevin Laforest (Freelance, ex-Hour), Ryan B. Patrick (Freelance), Tabassum Siddiqui (Freelance) and Nicole Villeneuve (AUX TV).
