LISTEN – Polaris Music Prize and High Priestess Publishing Presents: Let’s Listen Featuring Junia-T in collaboration with Sonic Boom
September 14, 2026 | 6:00 PM–8:00 PM | Sonic Boom, Toronto, ON | All Ages | Free
In celebration of the 2026 Polaris Festival, presented by SiriusXM Canada, Polaris brings to you a special Listening Session with Junia-T, an intimate in-store event at Sonic Boom.
The 2026 Polaris Festival is a month-long celebration of Canadian music as art, bringing together concerts, salons, listening sessions, conversations, artist development initiatives, and the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall. Through the Festival, Polaris creates space for audiences to listen differently, gather around important Canadian albums, and explore how music shapes culture, identity, memory, and belonging.
Reserve Your Spot for the Listening Session
Taking place at Sonic Boom, one of Toronto’s most beloved record stores, the session brings together artist Junia-T for a conversation about his iconic album Studio Monk, the creative process, and his collabs with Wheelchair Sports Camp’s Oh Imperfecta, Super Duty Tough Work’s Paradigm Shift (in which he produced the whole record and was long-listed for Polaris Music Prize), Cadence Weapon’s The Forager and Witch Prophet’s Gateway Experience.
Featured Participant
Photo Cred: Christy Yamagucci @yamagucccci
Junia-T
Toronto based producer, Junia-T, is on the rise! Whether it’s touring the world with Jessie Reyez as her official live DJ and longtime creative collaborator or busy in the studio cooking up tracks with the who’s who of the up and coming global hip-hop and R&B scenes. Junia-T’s incredible creative influence and contagious positive vibes are instantaneously winning people over the building his name. Junia-T’s critically acclaimed debut album entitled Studio Monk, features an impeccable curated list of emerging and high profile talents including the likes of Jessie Reyez, Sean Leon and River Tiber. The album delivers an expansive display of his production talents, musicianship and foresight with A&R, while effortlessly flowing through genres. Junia-T is now back working on his sophmore album A One Two Chune featuring Miloh Smith, Benjamin A.D and many more.
Moderator
Christopher Wilson
Christopher Wilson is a cultural futurist and artist-researcher whose work is at the intersection of cultural studies, Black Futures and Sound Studies. His practice is shaped by ancestral wisdom and radical possibilities, with a commitment to reimagining the past and present as pathways to an inspired future for Black folks. Christopher has held professional roles in Toronto and London, where he has led cultural programs that support communities. Alongside his professional journey in music, Chris holds a Master of Design from OCAD U in Strategic Foresight and Innovation and is working toward his PhD in Cultural Studies at Queen’s University, with a research focus on the sonic histories of cassette tapes and Black performance practices within Black diasporic communities in Canada. These academic pursuits focus on strengthening Arts & Culture through insightful policy development and urban space design that aligns with community needs.
About Sonic Boom
Sonic Boom is one of Toronto’s landmark independent record stores and a long-standing gathering place for music fans, collectors, artists, and curious listeners. For this Polaris Festival event, Sonic Boom becomes an intimate listening space where audiences can engage directly with new Canadian music in a setting rooted in discovery and record culture.
About High Priestess Publishing
High Priestess Publishing is a joint venture between female owned and led Six Shooter Records and Canadian music veteran Kim Temple. Created to develop a uniquely independent roster of songwriting talent, HP’s first signings were James Baley, SUN SUN and Witch Prophet, firmly aligning the company’s core values with those of the 2SLGBTQ+ & racialized artist communities.
Since its inception and launch on the cusp of 2020, High Priestess has grown to include a roster of 40 artists, a staff of five and an impressive list of sync placements and songwriting credits. Along with these licensing opportunities, High Priestess’ focus is on admin cleanup and royalty collection, creative artist support, scoring opportunities and the Temple of Song collaborative incubator.
About Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize is a Canadian charitable arts organization honouring music as art. Through its Album, Song, and Heritage Prizes, Polaris amplifies Canadian artists based on artistic merit.
The 2026 Polaris Festival is presented by SiriusXM Canada and made possible through the support of Experience Ontario, Ontario Creates, the City of Toronto’s Cultural Festivals Funding Program, FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Canada’s private radio broadcasters, and the Festival’s many community and venue partners.
