‘Unbelievable moment’ for Kaytranada
Montreal DJ hero Kaytranada has won the 2016 Polaris Music Prize, extending a buzzworthy year for the musician and his album 99.9%.
“Wow, this is an amazing, unbelievable moment right now,” Kaytranada told the crowd as he accepted the prize. “For me, it’s crazy to get the award.”
He went on to acknowledge his Montreal home base with a few words in French before quickly leaving the stage.
The electronic and hip hop producer has been a rising star on the Canadian scene, particularly this year as his latest album garnered extra attention for his numerous collaborations with underground artists such as Anderson Paak, Little Dragon and U.K. singer Craig David.
The Polaris recognition also comes with a $50,000 cash prize.
An 11-member grand jury selected Kaytranada from a short list of 10 nominees, which included other popular favourites such as pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen (Emotion) and electronic adventurer Grimes (Art Angels), a former Montrealer.
Women played a prominent role in six of the 10 nominated projects. Among the other nominees were Basia Bulat for Good Advice, Jessy Lanza for Oh No and female-led groups U.S. Girls for Half Free, and White Lung for Paradise.
Bulat’s nomination marks the third time she has been a finalist for the Polaris prize, putting her among an exclusive club of Canadians that include Caribou, Drake, Metric, Owen Pallett and Shad.
Jepsen’s album was her followup to the breakout success Kiss, which was buoyed by the massive hit Call Me Maybe. While Emotion failed to deliver the sales of its predecessor, it was embraced by several music critics who called it one of the best albums of 2015.
Rounding out this year’s short list were Black Mountain’s IV, Pup’s The Dream Is Over and Andy Shauf ’s The Party.
Many of the albums that didn’t make the cut also happened to be some of last year’s biggest sellers. Releases from Justin Bieber, Drake and the Weeknd were all part of the Polaris long list revealed in June, but were eliminated from contention.
The prize is awarded to the artist or group that created the best Canadian album of the previous year, irrespective of genre or sales. The winner is chosen by a panel of journalists, broadcasters and bloggers.
Last year, folk icon Buffy Sainte-Marie’s album Power in the Blood won the prize.