Northern BC Musician Heads to Coldsnap Festival riding energy of Polaris Prize recognition
Prince George welcomes a favourite musician back to the Coldsnap Festival — this time as a potential Polaris Prize nominee.
Wil Uks Batsga Galaaw, also known as Jeremy Pahl and Saltwater Hank, has continued to gain attention for his album released in summer 2023. It is called G̱al’üünx Wil Lu Holtga Liimi, which translates to ‘Bentwood Box Full of Songs’. What distinguishes the album is that it is recorded entirely in the Indigenous language Sm’algya.
The album has been attracting a lot of interest, including from one of the 196 judges of the Polaris Prize. It is now being considered for an award.
All jury members submit a list of five albums, from which the nominees are determined. Pahl’s album will be assessed for its artistic merit alongside another 200 selections between now and June, when we’ll see if he makes the cut.
The Polaris Prize winners are announced each fall.
