When Leslie Feist walked the Halifax Junos red carpet in 2006, she accessorized her cute vintage dress with a handbag held together with crayon-coloured duct tape. It’s that combo of effortless elegance and gawky dorkiness that made the video for “1234” irresistible to iPod marketing execs and made her third solo album The Reminder a hit with both hipsters and their moms. Nominated for four Grammys (she didn’t win, but on his blog, Kanye modestly labelled her as one of his other favourite Grammy performances) and five Junos, Feist will need a bigger purse to hold all these Best of Music awards, along with her American Shortlist Music Prize and Independent Music Awards.
First runner up: Wintersleep, "Weighty Ghost"
Second runner up: Jenn Grant, "Dreamer"
