From a list of hundreds, 196 music journalists from across the country carefully decided the 10 best Canadian albums of which the winner of the 2023 Polaris Music Prize will be determined on September 19, live from Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall. In honour of this year’s vibrant list of nominees, Canadian Beats is examining the 10 nominees and celebrating the artists behind them.
“My grandfather, Watin, told me that he was ready to forgive and move on with his life a few months before his passing in May. I think being able to open up and speak freely about his experiences, good and bad, gave him a sense of closure. This is way beyond anything I could have imagined coming from an album.”
– Aysanabee, on the most impactful thing said about Watin
At its musical core, the genius of Aysanabee’s Watin is the simple weave of our darkest truths as Canadians onto a canvas reminiscent of traditional soul and gospel.
Created from recordings made during the COVID-19 pandemic with his grandfather, Watin, discussing his time at the Catholic-run McIntosh Residential School, Aysanabee is bold in conveying not only the pain and abuse suffered at the hands of school administrators through a choral backdrop but the long journey of healing in the intermittent years since the school’s closure in 1969. Songs like “Bringing the Fire” give deep context to forced religious conversion, while “Here I Am” goes further in illustrating forced labour practices while trying to construct a meaningful relationship within the aforementioned forced faith; all while staying true and preserving one’s spirituality through dire situations.
“They are all important songs,” said Aysanabee, in an interview with Canadian Beats. “The album is meant to be ingested as a whole, but if someone told me they could only listen to one song and which one would tell them most about the album, I would say “We Were Here.” This was the final song on the album to be completed because I knew I wanted it to have a particular feeling, not just lyrically and musically, so I toiled away until I found a piano arrangement that captured a presence that would match the words. It ended up being so simple, but sometimes, that’s exactly what a song needs.”
And indeed, the closing moments of Watin, including “We Were Here” are celebratory of the perseverance of Watin’s life. Through his voice, we are given stories of marriage and the continuation of his family. “We Were Here” reminds us that the indigenous presence that implemented policies tried to erase from memory endures, while the closing “Nomads” proudly lets the listener know that Watin made it to see a time of change and a brighter future lies ahead for his people.
Will Aysanabee’s powerful and resonating Watin make history and become the 2023 Polaris Music Prize winner? Find out by following CBC Music on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, and at cbcmusic.ca/polaris and follow for more Polaris Music Prize coverage.