Polaris- One Year Later

Published Jul 23, 2007

One year later, we check back in with some of last year’s Polaris Prize nominees to ask what impact the nomination had.

Final Fantasy
"Winning the Polaris Prize made me feel good, like winning a track meet.” Owen Pallett

Broken Social Scene
"We were already in overkill mode by that point, but it put us with great company and took the commercial underdogs and put them in a deserved spotlight that seemed more about music than hype or sales.” Kevin Drew "It left me with a very nice framed poster that is hung in my upstairs hallway.” Brendan Canning

Cadence Weapon
"It helped make a name for me as not just a Canadian rapper but one of the Canadian artists to look out for. It meant a lot to me to represent as the only Albertan nominee as well. It was also great because I got to meet Owen [Pallett] and we've decided to co-headline a U.S. tour in the fall. I think it's created some opportunities for me.” Rollie Pemberton

Deadly Snakes
"We had broken up a month before, so for us, it was more personal. It was a nice way to go out on a high note. We probably could have capitalised on it, but obviously that didn’t happen. We were happy to be there.” Andre Ethier

Sarah Harmer
"For me the Polaris nomination reinforced a musical community that connects many styles of expression, and celebrates the art and freedom of making albums.”

K’Naan
"K'naan says it had a huge impact in his life. It’s why he's still on the run (some people call it touring). Uber confident that he would win, he borrowed the 20K from a Jamestown gangster and immediately purchased his PolarICE platinum chain. Upon not receiving the award he fled Canada and has yet to return.”

Malajube
"The Polaris nomination gave us a lot of coverage in Canada and the U.S. It helped us break the language barrier. It is definitely the best award in Canada. No money crap or at least not so much money crap.” Julien Mineau

Metric
"It was an honour to be nominated, and we're proud that there is a Canadian prize that's based on artistic merit instead of sales.” Jimmy Shaw

New Pornographers
"The Polaris Prize nomination gave me a new feeling of connectedness to some of the bands that the media had often associated with us, but we had never known personally. The awards ceremony was an awesome opportunity to see Sarah Harmer in all of her awesomeness." John Collins

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