Interview: Shad and Polaris Music Prize Founder Steve Jordan on the Spirit of Canadian Music

By: Daniel Gerichter (@ZenDonut) –

Since 2006, the Polaris Music Prize and the cash, “congrats”, or controversy attached to it, have remained worthy of a fight. Canadian artists have made creative and commercial strides over the years, and the Polaris Prize  serves a fundamental purpose in this business sometimes best equated with UK’s Mercury prize. The prize recognizes artists for challenging their genres to be something bigger and better. In 2014, that can definitely be said about the mainstream artists on the list (Drake, Arcade Fire) and the fiery incoming contenders, including Tanya Tagaq and Jessy Lanza.

The annual short-list announcement has become an event in itself – drawing media and artists from all around the country, and this year’s special guest presenter was Jay Baruchel of Knocked Up, This is the End and Million Dollar Babyfame (himself a huge supporter and fan of Canadian music), who took the podium to announce this year’s shortlisted artists. They were:

Arcade Fire – Reflektor

Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow

Mac DeMarco – Salad Days

Drake – Nothing Was The Same

Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back

Owen Pallett – In Conflict

Shad – Flying Colours

Tanya Tagaq – Animism

Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN – UZU

Also in attendance was the President of the Polaris Prize himself, Steve Jordan. We got a chance to discuss the prize, the state of Canadian music and last year’s controversy surrounding Godspeed! You Black Emperor.

How would the landscape of Canadian music be different without the Polaris prize? 

I think what we’ve managed to do is build a community around great music that would have been produced whether we existed or not. And really, we’re gathering a bunch of people who listen to a ton of records all the time. You can trust their tastes, you can hate their tastes, but we can back up our decision with the fact that these people are always engaged in listening to music all the time.

What was your reaction when Godspeed! You Black Emperor gave back their prize money?

First of all, I wasn’t surprised. We knew going in that it’s not the sort of thing that they do or like. It wasn’t shocking to me and we had a warning that a statement was coming. It’s a little disappointing that they weren’t here to experience it for themselves. I mean, yeah there’s branding but that’s part of what we do to bring focus to it. Looking truly on the plus side, their reaction got such huge international pickup and we don’t usually get that kind of international press, so this was like a big grease-fire.

You were looking at the positives in all of it?

Oh, for sure! I think it was a huge positive. I mean, a) our jury doesn’t pick a winner based on who’s going to be in attendance and who’s going to be nice to Polaris – it’s purely based on music. And b) it also shows that we don’t reallyhave a reaction to that either. It’s always nice when your winner shows up (laughter) but for years that’s exactly what we had, so, I’m sure there are plenty of conspiracy-minded folks who would criticize that. But what they did, I feel, actually helped put the nail in that coffin. What disappointed me about it (and this is not their fault), but it took the conversation away from the actual record: why it was a good record, what made it so great. We like to keep the conversation musical whenever we can. Sometimes people invent controversy when it doesn’t exist. Just to clarify though: we weren’t pissed about it.

Do you feel that the prize tends to lean more towards more mainstream records?

In the end, it’s what the 11 people on the panel think is the best record. And sometimes, it’s not even all 11 and they’re just getting into the semantics of it. Either way, we always try to make it fun for the artists as well as people who truly love music.

______________________________________________________________________________________

In the “always a bridesmaid” category, comes London, Ontario’s Shad. After releasing the universally praised Flying Colours last year, Shad continued to prove himself not only as one of Canada’s foremost voices in hip hop, but also as an incredibly versatile and visionary artist. The prize shortlisted his equally acclaimed, previous records The Old Prince andTSOL for the 2008 and 2010 prizes, respectively. We also interviewed Shad to discuss his career and Polaris hopes.

Hypothetical: You’ve just won the Polaris Prize. How does that affect your creative process?

I don’t know if it would affect it too much, you know? The spirit of the award is that it’s a celebration of music that matters to the artists as much as it does to the fans. I think about all the people who’ve been shortlisted, and I don’t think anything would change with them or their sound. I think it just gives them a mandate to keep contributing on their scale, whether it’s the Arcade Fire or myself.

Would the Canadian music scene be any different without the Polaris Prize?

I think so. I think it’s a kind of recognition that you might not get if you’re starting out or making music that’s more challenging. It’s an opportunity to have their worth  put out for everyone to see. Even with Godspeed! – it’s not exactly emerging, but it’s different from what people are used to. It elevates it and says “hey, I know this might not be what you’re accustomed to, but I think it’s worthy of your ears.”

Which other artists are you keeping your eye on for the award?

I’ve heard a lot of the artists on the list, but the ones at the top of my list are Drake’s album and Basia Bulat’s. I’ve just been so inspired by both of them.

How many of the challenges facing independent artists does Polaris actually address?

I think it helps solve a lot of the problems, because it puts the spotlight on the artists’ process. Beyond the financial help it gives, the most important thing is kind of highlighting these works and putting them in front of more writers and critics who can share that work more broadly. It puts them on the radar for people who can put them on a new platform.

How does hip-hop figure in to the overall dialogue about independent music in Canada?

Hip-hop has always had an independent spirit. Look at Drake’s success. That’s the independent hip-hop hustle. That ambition is in all of us. To reach where he’s reached – a lot of us thought that was just impossible. I think hip-hop has a lot to teach the world about independent music, I mean the whole hip-hop business is what, 40 years old? Look at what it’s become in that time. The stories of guys like Russell Simmons or Jay Z, where they built an empire out of a mixtape. Even guys like Master P. or Too $hort selling their albums out of the trunks of their cars and learning the business from the ground floor. That’s the biggest part of the narrative.

The Polaris Music Prize gala is on September 22^nd. Good luck to all the artists!