Tegan and Sara, Jackie Mittoo win 2024 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prizes
The albums So Jealous and Macka Fat beat out records by Robbie Robertson, Sarah Harmer and more
Tegan and Sara's 2004 album So Jealous and Jackie Mittoo's 1970 record Macka Fat have won this year's Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize.
Every year, the prize honours classic Canadian albums released before the Polaris Music Prize began in 2006, regardless of album sales and affiliations. One album is selected by an 11-member Polaris Heritage Prize jury, and the other by a public vote. Macka Fat was selected by the jury, and So Jealous was voted the winner by the public.
Macka Fat is considered a reggae album that is "an important part of the Jamaica-to-Toronto musical pipeline," according to a press release. Kevin Howes, the DJ, producer and writer behind the Jamaica to Toronto compilation record featuring Mittoo, shared in the release that Macka Fat is "a blessed, Studio One blast, recorded in 1971 on a reggae and soul-splashed journey back to Kingston, Jamaica, via Toronto, Ont., Canada."
So Jealous is Tegan and Sara's fourth studio album, and was nominated for a Juno Award for alternative album of the year.
"Thank you to the Polaris Prize for recognizing one of our favourite albums and for honouring us with this prize. So Jealous isn't just beloved by our fans; it's an album that changed our lives forever," the sisters shared in a press release. "With the unwavering support of co-producers John Collins, David Carswell, and Howard Redekopp, along with musicians Matt Sharp, Rob Chursinoff, and Chris Carlson, we pushed our songwriting and musical instincts to the edge.
"We are grateful to our former managers, Nick Blasko and Piers Henwood, who encouraged our experimentation and stood by us as we faced sexism and homophobia in the press in the months and years following the release of So Jealous," they continued. "This album inspired us to demand more equitable treatment for women and LGBTQ+ individuals in the music industry."
The winning albums beat out other nominated works by Sarah Harmer, Robbie Robertson and more. The full list of the 2024 Heritage Prize nominees is below:
- Acadie, Daniel Lanois
- Against the Glass, Slow
- Canadiana Suite, The Oscar Peterson Trio
- Le dôme, Jean Leloup
- Julie Doiron & the Wooden Stars, Julie Doiron & the Wooden Stars
- Kombinator, The Inbreds
- Lindberg, Robert Charlebois & Louise Forestier
- Macka Fat, Jackie Mittoo
- Reconstruction Site, The Weakerthans
- Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson
- So Jealous, Tegan and Sara
- You Were Here, Sarah Harmer