Jeremy Dutcher makes Canadian music history

Jeremy Dutcher reacts after winning the Polaris Music Prize at Massey Hall in Toronto on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (Paige Taylor White / The Canadian Press)

Jeremy Dutcher made Canadian music history Tuesday night by winning a second Polaris Music Prize for his second album, Motewolonuwok.

Dutcher is the first artist to win the $50,000 prize twice, after taking home the prestigious award in 2018 for his album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa.

“Last night was the most beautiful celebration and the, like, closing of a circle that was at least five years in the making. Maybe 33,” said Dutcher. “I'm just on top of the world.”

The artist, who is a member of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, was chosen from shortlist of ten acclaimed finalists which included The Beaches, Allison Russell and Charlote Cardin. The winner was picked by a jury made up of journalists, broadcasters and bloggers from across Canada.

“I love the format of making albums and so for me, when an entire industry kind of points to you and says, ‘Well, this is the one we want to lift up this year’, that feels really good,” Dutcher said.

Dutcher’s first record Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa was sung in Wolastoqey, a language he’s passionate about helping to revitalize. His second album is the first time he sings in both English and Wolastoqey.

“Even though I'm singing in English for the first time, still it's rooted within my vision, which is to see the proliferation and thriving of our of our languages, indigenous languages here in Canada,” he said.

Dutcher said he hopes this record helps people consider that loss, joy, pain and celebration are all a part of life.

“And for me, there's a duality that is necessary in life. And I think our queer kin, our LGBTQ people, our two-spirit people, show us that,” Dutcher said, who identifies as two-spirit.

The Polaris Music Prize comes with a $50,000 award. Dutcher notes he has some bills to pay but he also intends to donate as much as he can to the Kehkimin Wolastoqey language immersion school in Fredericton.

The school, which was set up by Dutcher’s mother, aims to teach the Wolastoqey language to young people before it’s lost.

Its website notes that almost all fluent Wolastoqey speakers are 65 and older.

“Of course, I'm a little biased, but it's just so beautiful what's going on there. And I'm reminded every time I visit that school of the power of language, that it can really transform the lives of young people,” Dutcher said.

“When we are sharing our language with each other, it is strengthening our identity with each other.”