Jeremy Dutcher has won the 2024 Polaris Music Prize for Motewolonuwok, making history as the first two-time winner of the prize.
Dutcher will take home the $50,000 prize, which goes to the best Canadian album of the year, as determined by a jury of experts and based solely on artistic merit. He first won the prize in 2018, for Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa.
“I just wanna say I love you all, I can only do this cause you’re here to listen, and that means so much to me,” Dutcher said, receiving the award. “To bring forward art and music in this land, in our languages, with our aesthetics,” he continued, “all I have to say is we’re here shining for you — now go shine for other people.”
Dutcher was competing in a tough field, against nine other shortlisted albums: Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee, NOBRO’s Set Your Pussy Free, TOBi’s Panic, DijahSB’s The Flower That Knew, Allison Russell’s The Returner, Bambii’s Infinity Club, Elisapie’s Inuktitut, The Beaches’ Blame My Ex and Charlotte Cardin’s 99 Nights.
The prize was awarded at the Polaris Gala, held at Massey Hall in Toronto and hosted by 2023 winner Debby Friday.
Other previous winners include Pierre Kwenders (2022), Cadence Weapon (2021), Backxwash (2020), Haviah Mighty (2019), Lido Pimienta (2017), and Kaytranada (2016).
This article originally appeared in Billboard Canada.
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