MOTEWOLONUWOK LP SHORT LISTED FOR THE 2024 POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE
Jeremy Dutcher’s sophomore LP, Motewolonuwok – his defiant, healing, and queer exploration of modern indigeneity – has been shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize 2024, alongside Elisapie, Charlotte Cardin, Allison Russell, and more. The winner will be announced during the gala in Toronto on September 17.
As a previous winner of the Polaris Music Prize (2018), today, Jeremy is thrilled to share a moving new video to celebrate his nomination and unveil some of the processes behind the astonishing Motewolonuwok.
“There are lessons you’re taught and ones you come to know experientially — some are both. The lesson is that ‘there is no better medicine than singing together’. Something I was told from a young age but didn’t truly internalize until the process of creating this last album, Motewolonuwok,” explains Dutcher.
“Bringing this album to fruition and insisting on its vision was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done — and it was only through the collective support of this amazing group of singers that it came to pass. The WICIW Choir was built from every corner of my life, bringing together the voices I admire most, and is made most beautiful by its inclusivity, truly an ensemble for every voice type. Getting to share some wolastoqey latuwewakon with these dear collaborators was a transformative experience for me; we can learn so much from teaching. From my depth, I give gratitude to each of these singers who gave this record it’s truly voice: the spirit of collectivity,” he concludes.
The WICIW Choir is James Baley, Meghan Jamieson, Teiya Kasahara, Keith Lam, Jonathan MacArthur, Marion Newman, Lydia Persaud, Alex Samaras, Karen Weigold, Alanna Stuart, Katrina Westin.
He headlined Servant Jazz Quarters in London, England, and played the Cambridge Folk Festival last week. Jeremy will be back on the road in Canada in August and September and will be performing with the NAC Orchestra in Ottawa on September 13, as well as opening for Feist at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St-Catharines on September 18. Tickets are on sale HERE.