Presented by Canada\u2019s Glenn Gould Foundation, the $100,000 accolade is an international honour named after the beloved Canadian pianist. It\u2019s awarded every two years and recognizes a musician or artist who has made lifetime artistic and humanitarian contributions.<\/p>\n
Accepting his award, the 79-year-old musician, who was joined by his Canadian husband David Furnish on-stage, told the crowd that he felt part of Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so nice to be in Canada and have a concert full of Canadian artists who I all know,\u201d said John. \u201cIt\u2019s also nice to be in a country that has common sense. I have a family here,\u201d referencing Furnish and their two children.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cCanada is part of my life, and is embedded in my soul,\u201d which received cheers from the crowd. \u201cI am a Canadian and I can tell you, it\u2019s not the 51st f\u2014ing state!\u201d making a cheeky reference to Donald Trump\u2019s comments towards Canada.<\/p>\n
With a career spanning over five decades, John has heavily impacted modern music. Selling over 300 million albums worldwide, and is among the few artists to attain EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award) status. His heartfelt tribute to Princess Diana, \u201cCandle in the Wind,\u201d written with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, remains the best-selling physical single of all time globally.<\/p>\n
John has used his global success to inspire social change, too, namely through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, founded in 1992. Since its conception, John has helped raise over $650 million for HIV\/AIDS prevention, treatment and care worldwide. In addition, he\u2019s an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, addiction awareness and the nurturing of emerging artists.<\/p>\n
\u201cFew artists have had such an impact on our culture and on our music itself,\u201d said Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Marc Miller<\/u><\/a>. \u201cFewer still have left their mark across several generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Elton John<\/small>Shawn Goldberg<\/small><\/p>\n The music icon detailed his time studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London and his childhood home filled with a radio, 78 RPM records and a standup piano: \u201cMusic is my soul, my driving force. It is everything and has been everything to me for my whole life,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n John shared that the honour was a \u201chumbling experience,\u201d before reflecting on his partying days of the past. \u201cYears ago, I\u2019d be doing cocaine off of that, I tell you,\u201d he joked, holding the gold statue. \u201cShocking!\u201d<\/p>\n Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell and Michael Bubl\u00e9 provided video appearances for John. Bubl\u00e9 spoke about John\u2019s kindness when Bubl\u00e9\u2019s three-year-old son, Noah, was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2016. He went into remission a year later. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have imagined when I heard about what he was going through so we reached out,\u201d John confirmed, noting that he was touched by Bubl\u00e9\u2019s video.<\/p>\n He later shared that he has a new album in the works, which he wrote differently compared to previous works. \u201cMusic is about learning and learning all the time.” John said. \u201cI\u2019ve had eye trouble recently and I\u2019ve always made my music by looking at lyrics, and so I\u2019m about f\u2014ed. What my eye has given is a challenge, completely reversing how I write. Writing melodies first, the lyrics come second. I\u2019ve never done that and I\u2019ve just done that.” <\/p>\n Throughout the ceremony, John was honoured by the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of homegrown talent<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/ca.billboard.com\/media-library\/image.jpg?id=66718954&width=980\")
Shawn Goldberg<\/small><\/p>\n![\"Elton](\"https:\/\/ca.billboard.com\/media-library\/elton-john-emily-d-angelo.jpg?id=66718951&width=980\")
Elton John & Emily D’Angelo <\/small>Shawn Goldberg <\/small><\/p>\n