Polaris Music Prize has announced its shortlist for 2021 in a special broadcast on CBC Music.
The 10-album list represents the best Canadian albums of the year as voted by a large jury of critics, journalists and music professionals. The winner will be awarded $50,000 and will be announced at a virtual gala in the near future (details are still TBA). Last year’s event took place on YouTube with original short films from all 10 nominees. Montreal horrorcore rapper Backxwash took it home for her album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It.
This year’s shortlist features the OBGMs, who were on the cover of NOW’s Sound Of Toronto 2021 issue, and rapper DijahSB, who was also part of that class. Mustafa, another recent NOW cover star, also made the list.
They join fellow Toronto-based artists the Weather Station, TOBi and Cadence Weapon, who is on the shortlist for the third time. Also on the list are Indigenous artists Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (read our recent interview with her here) and Zoon. Check out the full shortlist below:
Cadence Weapon: Parallel World
DijahSB: Head Above The Waters
Dominique Fils-Aimé: Three Little Words
Klô Pelgag: Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
Mustafa: When Smoke Rises
The OBGMs: The Ends
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson: Theory Of Ice
TOBi: ELEMENTS Vol. 1
The Weather Station: Ignorance
Zoon: Bleached Wavves
