A stunned Leslie Feist won the $30,000 Polaris Music Prize on Monday for her fourth album, Metals - then, unsure of what to do next, she hid under her table.
Eventually, the Calgaryreared, Toronto-based singer/songwriter emerged and took the stage to accept her prize. But the 36-year-old - not necessarily a presumed favourite for the honour - was still so shocked, she had trouble finding the words.
"This was my worst fear - oh my God," said a laughing Feist, clutching her gigantic cheque. "You'd think from a lifetime of terrible speeches I would remember at one point to write something down, but I never do because it seems presumptuous to prepare."
The award - given to the best Canadian album of the previous year - was ultimately determined by a 10-person jury of music journalists, bloggers and broadcasters at a cosy gala at Toronto's Masonic Temple.
Drake sold a ton of records, but that doesn't matter at the Polaris. Still, his Take Care was a carefully considered, genreblurring triumph that received resoundingly positive reviews and sounded unlike anything else on the charts.
Japandroids were also considered a favourite, given the broad accessibility of their frenetic, fuzzy indie pop, their critical bona fides and reputation for furious live performances. Brian King and David Prowse of Japandroids are both former University of Victoria students; King is also a Nanaimo native.
The evening's most moving moment came when Alexei Perry took to the stage to accept the nomination for her Montreal electro-rock duo, Handsome Furs - which had consisted only of Perry and her then-husband Dan Boeckner, who grew up in Lake Cowichan. The band announced its split in May, and Perry fought back tears as she stepped to the microphone.
"Some people here will know how hard this is for me, but I'm also very, very proud," she said. "So I'm here to say thank you on behalf of Handsome Furs, for Dan and I, for letting us risk ourselves in pursuit of our ideals."
