Polaris Festival & Second Summer Present: Jaywood

$45 Concert | September 24, 7 PM | Lee’s Palace, Toronto
19+ | Not Accessible | Concert

In celebration of 20 years of Polaris Music Prize, we’ve created the Polaris Festival presented by SiriusXM Canada. The Festival is happening throughout September with over 15 events like Salons, Concerts, Listening Sessions, and our Concert & Award Ceremony at Massey Hall. Browse Festival events here.

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Join us on September 24 at Lee’s Palace in Toronto for the Second Summer Launch Party – A night of cutting-edge sound and underground energy. Featuring post-punk icons Dry Cleaning, the haunting Bria Salmena, genre-blurring, alt hip-hop/indie neo-soul of JayWood, high-voltage Slash Need, and a DJ set by Born Ruffians. This is Toronto’s new wave. Don’t miss it!

Polaris Music Prize has partnered with Second Summer to present Polaris nominee JayWood for the Second Summer lineup.

JAYWOOD

JayWood is the genre-blurring, alt hip-hop/indie neo-soul of Jeremy Haywood-Smith. His self-produced, Polaris-nominated album Slingshot and EP Grow On earned praise from KEXP, CBC, Paste, and more. Recent singles like “BIG TINGS” (feat. Tune-Yards) and “UNTITLED (Swirl)” showcase his refusal to be boxed in. The upcoming single “ASSUMPTIONS” continues this trend — psychedelic, bold, and brimming with neo-soul swagger, channeling influences from Tyler, the Creator to Stereolab and Men I Trust.

SECOND SUMMER

Born From the Basement Up: Second Summer is a brand new music festival in Toronto’s West End — built by music people, for music people. In a time when algorithms decide what we hear, we’re bringing music discovery back to real life. No scrolls, no hype, just great artists doing what they do best. This isn’t about chasing trends — it’s about soul, community, and putting independent talent front and centre. Because we missed this. Because the scene needs this. And because the best music still starts small.

POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE

Polaris Music Prize is a Canadian charitable arts organization celebrating 20 years of honouring music as art. From June to September 2025, the new Polaris Music Prize Festival brings concerts, salons, and listening sessions to Toronto and across Ontario — culminating in the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony on September 16 at Massey Hall. Through its Album, Song, and Heritage Prizes, Polaris amplifies Canadian artists based on artistic merit — not genre, sales, or algorithmic popularity. With 700+ artists championed, over $1.4M in prize and artist fees awarded, and a jury of over 200 music critics and curators, Polaris protects space for boundary-pushing music and fosters a deeper national music culture. Learn more at polarismusicprize.ca.

The event is part of the Polaris Music Prize Festival presented by SiriusXM Canada. CBC presents the 2025 Polaris Music Prize. This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s private radio broadcasters. It is supported by SiriusXM Canada, Ontario Creates, the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, and the Slaight Family Foundation.

ACCESSABILITY

Lee’s Palace is located on the ground floor, and though concerts and events are viewable for those with mobility restrictions, it has both a step down to the second level, and another step to enter the pit in front of the stage.