The Congolese-born and Montreal-based musician and songwriter Pierre Kwenders has won the 2022 Polaris Music Prize for his album José Louis and the Paradox of Love. The honor is annually awarded to Canada’s best album of the year by a jury of writers, programmers, and broadcasters; it comes with a $50,000 prize. The award was revealed tonight at a live gala in Toronto.
In his speech accepting the award, Kwenders mentioned that in the past two months, he lost his godfather and two of his cousins. He noted that “life is a motherfucker,” but said, “I remember the reason I do what I do and the reason why I do the music that I do and I tell the story that I tell with my music is to tell the story of the people that inspire me. And all those three people that I mentioned inspired me as fuck.”
He specifically thanked his aunt, who moved to Canada in 1992 and invited his mother to move to the country as well. “I’m here in front of you because of all those people,” he said. “I know those people weren’t perfect. They had their own struggle as I had. My album is called José Louis and the Paradox of Love because love is a paradox, and I still don’t know what love is. I’m still trying to figure it out.” Kwenders thanked his manager, his collaborators on the album (including Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagnee), and everyone who paid attention to the message of his album.
Other nominees on this year’s Polaris Prize shortlist included Destroyer, Charlotte Day Wilson, Ouri, Hubert Lenoir, and more. Previous winners include Cadence Weapon, Backxwash, Haviah Mighty, Jeremy Dutcher, Lido Pimienta, Arcade Fire, Tanya Tagaq, Kaytranada, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Fucked Up, Feist, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Caribou.
Polaris Music Prize Short List 2022:
Charlotte Day Wilson – Alpha
Destroyer – Labyrinthitis
Hubert Lenoir – Pictura de Ipse : Musique Directe
Kelly McMichael – WaveS
Lisa LeBlanc – Chiac Disco
Ombiigizi – Sewn Back Together
Ouri – Frame of a Fauna
Pierre Kwenders – José Louis and the Paradox of Love
Ombiigizi – Sewn Back Together
Ouri – Frame of a Fauna
Shad – Tao
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – Life After
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