2021 POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE SHORT LIST IS HERE
JULY 15, 2021 – The Polaris Music Prize, presented by CBC Music, has unveiled the 10 albums on the 2021 Short List.
The 2021 Polaris Music Prize Short List is:
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – Theory of Ice
Cadence Weapon – Parallel World
DijahSB – Head Above The Waters
Dominique Fils-Aimé – Three Little Words
Mustafa – When Smoke Rises
The OBGMs – The Ends
Klô Pelgag – Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
TOBi – Elements Vol. 1
The Weather Station – Ignorance
Zoon – Bleached Wavves
“This year's Short List is an excellent snapshot of artists on the genreless, limitless vanguard of Canadian music. Congratulations to the nominees, and thank you to our devoted community of jurors for their time and care spent crafting this list. After the year everyone's had, we all could use a moment of reprieve. Consider this your invitation to give all 10 remarkable albums a generous spin,” said Polaris jury foreperson Melissa Vincent.
The new nominees were revealed during the Polaris Short List Special, which aired earlier today across Canada via CBC Music and CBC Listen Hosted by A. Harmony, the special featured music from the Short List nominees as well as in depth interviews with CBC personalities and Polaris jurors. An encore broadcast of the special will air on CBC Music, Sunday, July 18 at 6 p.m.
With the announcement of the 10 nominated albums CBC Music is kicking off the Short List Summer, a sprawling, season-long deep dive into the nominated records and the artists who made them.
This Short List Summer will include the Polaris Spotlight, an editorial series diving into each of the short-listed artists and their nominated albums, beginning Tuesday, July 20. This will be capped every Sunday with a one-hour CBC Music radio special called The Ten, starting Sunday, July 25. Each week, the show will
take an in-depth look at one of the 10 nominated albums in the lead-up to the 2021 Polaris Prize winner announcement. Follow CBC Music on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook for more Polaris Music Prize content that will explore the Short List albums and the artists behind them.
Polaris Short List Summer 2021 Calendar
- Tuesday, July 20 – Polaris Spotlight: Cadence Weapon’s Parallel World on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, July 25 – The Ten: Cadence Weapon broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, July 27 – Polaris Spotlight: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s Theory of Ice on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, August 1 – The Ten: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, August 3 – Polaris Spotlight: TOBi’s Elements Vol. 1 on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, August 8 – The Ten: TOBi broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, August 10 – Polaris Spotlight: Klô Pelgag’s Notre-Dame-des-Sept Douleurs on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, August 15 – The Ten: Klô Pelgag broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, August 17 – Polaris Spotlight: Dominique Fils-Aimé’s Three Little Words on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, August 22 – The Ten: Dominique Fils-Aimé broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, August 24 – Polaris Spotlight: DijahSB’s Head Above The Waters on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, August 29 – The Ten: DijahSB broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, August 31 – Polaris Spotlight: Zoon’s Bleached Wavves on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, September 5 – The Ten: Zoon broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, September 7 – Polaris Spotlight: The OBGMs’ The Ends on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, September 12 – The Ten: The OBGMs broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, September 14 – Polaris Spotlight: Mustafa’s When Smoke Rises on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, September 19 – The Ten: Mustafa broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
- Tuesday, September 21 – Polaris Spotlight: The Weather Station’s Ignorance on CBCMusic.ca/polaris
- Sunday, September 26 – The Ten: The Weather Station broadcast on CBC Music and CBC Listen
Due to the continued uncertainty around returns to public gatherings, Polaris has chosen to not host a winner Gala event this year. More details about the 2021 Polaris Music Prize winner reveal on September 27, 2021 will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Polaris Music Prize awards $50,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales. Additionally, the nine other nominated acts whose albums make the 2021 Short List will receive $3,000 each courtesy of Slaight Music. New for 2021, Polaris Music Prize has partnered with Play MPE to award the winning artist with a global music promotion distribution package for one release (single or album) worth up to $3,025 CAD. Play MPE will also gift all nine remaining Short List artists with distribution packages worth up to $1,000 CAD each.
Albums eligible for 2021 Polaris Music Prize consideration must be released between May 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021. An independent jury of music journalists, broadcasters and bloggers from across Canada determines the Long List and Short List. Eleven people from the larger jury pool are then chosen to serve on the Grand Jury. This Grand Jury will select the Polaris Music Prize winner.
The past winners are Backxwash (2020), Haviah Mighty (2019), Jeremy Dutcher (2018), Lido Pimienta (2017), Kaytranada (2016), Buffy Sainte-Marie (2015), Tanya Tagaq (2014), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2013), Feist (2012), Arcade Fire (2011), Karkwa (2010), Fucked Up (2009), Caribou (2008), Patrick Watson (2007) and Final Fantasy / Owen Pallett (2006).
We acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters.
About the Polaris Music Prize
The Polaris Music Prize is a not-for-profit organization that annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction. A select panel of music critics judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity.
www.polarismusicprize.com
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About CBC Music
CBC Music is the leading curator of emerging and diverse Canadian music talent across platforms, playing the most Canadian artists and genres on radio, CBC Listen and cbcmusic.ca. We prioritize Canadian artists in a wide variety of genres on over 200 playlists available on CBC Listen, and publish daily national music coverage. CBC Music Live features live music recordings from across the country. Our music partnerships and events include The JUNOS, the Polaris Music Prize, Searchlight, the CBC Music Festival, The Canadian Music Class Challenge and Canada Listens. www.cbcmusic.ca
About Play MPE
Play MPE is the leading global platform for music promotion distribution and discovery. The company now serves over 100 countries, is available in multiple languages, and has changed the way the music industry delivers and accesses content. Play MPE provides music promotion distribution for 1000s of record labels, promoters and artists connecting them to a growing community of vetted music industry decision makers. Play MPE’s coveted distribution lists include: radio, satellite, media/blogs, music supervisors, music curators and more. Long standing global clients include Universal Music Group, Warner Music , Sony Entertainment, BMG, Big Machine, [PIAS], Curb I Word, Broken Bow, eOne Entertainment, Epitaph, Criteria, The Orchard and many more. www.plaympe.com
Media Contacts:
Polaris Music Prize media:
Joanne Setterington
(416) 884-4119
joanne@indoorrecess.com
Polaris Music Prize media (Quebec):
Magali Ould
(514) 994-6295
magali@polarismusicprize.ca
CBC
Teaghan Hawke
teaghan.hawke@cbc.ca
Play MPE
Cate Horsley
cateh@plaympe.com
Media assets (Polaris logos, album covers, bios, photos, streams): polarismusicprize.ca/media
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