Twenty years ago, Patrick Watson, one of the most distinctive and influential artists of his generation, shook the Canadian music scene with his breakthrough album, Closer to Paradise, which would soon take him around the world. Beyond Watson’s undeniable charm and powerful songwriting, the album also introduced listeners to a new record label: Secret City Records.
“Honestly, we didn’t really have a clue what we were doing,” recalls Justin West, the label’s president and founder. “We were pretty carefree twentysomethings and we had no grand vision for the future, no real financial structure, and no clear plan for how the label would grow. Our only priority was getting Patrick’s album out there, because we truly believed in its potential.”
One could be forgiven for thinking Justin is what’s commonly called a nepo baby—someone who came into the industry with a head start thanks to their lineage. He is, after all, the son of Jim West, founder of the influential Canadian jazz label Justin Time, named after Justin himself, so he certainly grew up around the business. Justin says, however, that it was the artists he signed who really taught him the finer points of running a label, with each new project teaching him something new.
“I spent a lot of time hanging around studios with my dad, and I worked at Justin Time almost every summer while I was in school, so I knew the business to a certain extent, but I didn’t yet understand the countless details that go into building an artist’s career. We were very lucky to start out with Patrick, because he opened a door to the world for us.”
Even before Secret City released that fabled album, Patrick Watson’s name was already well known around Justin Time. Convinced that Patrick deserved a record deal but that a jazz label wasn’t the right fit for him, Jim encouraged his son to launch a new label better suited to Patrick’s personality and artistic vision. “I knew Patrick from high school,” Justin explains. “We were both in the music program, but we weren’t particularly close back then. From the very beginning of our working relationship, though, a real friendship developed. Twenty years after our first album together, we’re still working closely and talking on the phone almost every day.”
Launching a startup label at a time when album sales were plummeting probably felt like a risky proposition, but Watson’s example also proved that artists had other ways to get their music heard. “I remember the day we got a fax from the producers of Grey’s Anatomy asking to use The Great Escape in an episode. This was a time when music supervisors had an enormous influence and the right placement could totally launch a career. When the request came in, I thought it was incredibly cool, but I knew absolutely nothing about the legal side of syncs. We had to learn everything on the fly!”
Spurred on by the enthusiastic response its artists were receiving, Secret City gradually expanded its roster, signing bands such as Braids, Thus Owls and Suuns, before turning its attention to the French-language market with Antoine Corriveau, Klô Pelgag and none other than Daniel Bélanger, who had recently left his long-time home, Audiogram. “Some of our artists live in Toronto or elsewhere, but I believe our identity is very rooted in Montréal,” Justin says. “It always made sense that we would eventually sign French-language artists, but we had to wait for the right project and it turned out to be Antoine Corriveau, an artist I deeply admire.”
While it may be difficult to pinpoint a single Secret City musical aesthetic shared by every artist on its roster, they all seem to have one thing in common: a long-term approach to development that puts artistic integrity ahead of commercial success. “It’s crucial for us to build close relationships with our artists, which is why we limit the number of releases we put out and have no plans for explosive growth. Our relationships aren’t transactional—we prefer to think of our relationships as a true partnership with our artists.”
It’s an approach shared by the roughly 15 people who now make up the Secret City team and whose talent Justin is quick to praise. “I think of people like Magali Ould, who’s been with us for about 15 years and is now our General Manager, or Rosanna Carson, my wife, who handles our finances and a million little things that keep us on track. I could name every single person on the team because they’re all so important to keeping Secret City running. The old saying ‘It takes a village’ really applies here: we are truly a family.”
And Secret City plans to take on the next 20 years as a family, come what may. “The industry is in a difficult place right now, but I’m still optimistic,” Justin concludes. “The upheaval we’re living through is forcing us to rethink how we work. This year, we released an album by Tiga in collaboration with his label, Turbo. It’s more about adapting than expanding, which can be unsettling, but also energizing. Change is inevitable—the key is learning how to make the most of it by finding new tools.”
20th anniversary concerts (Pop Montréal):
September 25 in Montreal, @ La Sala Rossa
(with Antoine Corriveau, Basia Bulat, Brad Barr and Klô Pelgag)
September 26 in Montreal @ La Sala Rossa
(with Bye Parula, La Force, Shad, Unessential Oils)
Six Albums the Defined Secret City Records
Like any proud parent, Justin West refuses to rank his roster’s albums by preference. But after some prodding, he agreed to name a few releases that helped shape Secret City over the course of its first 20 years. Here they are, in chronological order:
Closer to Paradise
Patrick Watson (2006)
“It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this album, since it literally gave birth to Secret City. Without its success, it’s hard to say whether the label would have been able to keep growing.”
The Barr Brothers “This album marked a turning point in the label’s international growth. The Barr brothers are based in Montréal and deeply rooted in the local community, but their American roots may have helped us build their career south of the border. The record brought a number of firsts for us, including their appearance on David Letterman’s Late Show.”
Tall Tall Shadow
Basia Bulat (2013)
“Basia was already well established when she released an album with us. What I loved from the start was how much she believed in us. I think she was the first artist that told us, ‘I trust you completely. I’m convinced you can take my music to the world.’ We really built out our international network with her, and that work helped us grow the careers of our other artists as well.”
Inscape
Alexandra Stréliski (2016)
“A huge record, for obvious reasons! This is true of many of our artists, but Alexandra’s music has a particularly cinematic quality. Jean-Marc Vallée was a fan and had already used her music in some of his projects. One day he called me about Sharp Objects and said Alexandra would be perfect [to score it]. In the end, he used seven of her songs in the series!”
Twin Solitudes
Leif Vollebekk (2017)
“Like Basia, Leif had already released a few albums before joining Secret City, and I can say, humbly but honestly, that things really started to take off for him at that point. For the first time, everything was falling into place: streaming, radio… in Canada, of course, but internationally as well. I’ll always remember the first show we did with him at the Mercury Lounge in New York. In that tiny room, packed to capacity, we could really feel that something special was happening.”
Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
Klô Pelgag (2020)
“This album came out in the middle of the pandemic, just as the world was grinding to a halt… It could easily have been a disaster, and we did postpone the release date. But the undeniable quality of the music and the originality of Klô’s artistic vision made it a success. I love Klô and the whole world she creates, especially her visual approach, which really came to life in that memorable filmed performance she made for Télé-Québec with her collaborator Baz. Klô really embodies the spirit of Secret City: on top of her own projects, which are all incredible, she’s also sung on albums by Patrick Watson and The Barr Brothers.”