Here's the 2021 Polaris Music Prize short list
Below, we outline our plans to celebrate the 10 albums vying for the $50K grand prize
The Polaris Music Prize has revealed its 2021 short list.
The 40 previously longlisted albums have been narrowed down to the following 10:
- Theory of Ice, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
- Parallel World, Cadence Weapon
- Head Above the Waters, Dijah SB
- Three Little Words, Dominique Fils-Aimé
- When Smoke Rises, Mustafa
- The Ends, the OBGMs
- Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, Klô Pelgag
- Elements Vol. 1, Tobi
- Ignorance, the Weather Station
- Bleached Wavves, Zoon
The winning album will be chosen by an 11-member grand jury and announced on Sept. 27.
Shortlist Summer
In the weeks leading up to that announcement, CBC Music will present Shortlist Summer, a series of special programming and features that celebrates this year's shortlisted albums.
Shortlist Summer will comprise Polaris Spotlight, a weekly editorial series beginning Tuesday, July 20, and The Ten, a weekly radio show airing Sunday evenings starting July 25. Each instalment will focus on one of the 10 shortlisted albums in the lead-up to the 2021 Polaris Music Prize winner announcement.
Go to cbcmusic.ca/polaris and follow CBC Music on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook for more Polaris Music Prize coverage.
Every year since 2006, the Polaris Music Prize has been awarded to a Canadian album of distinction, without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity. The winning album receives a cash prize of $50,000; the nine runners-up from the short list each receive $3,000.
Due to the continued uncertainty around the return to public gatherings, the Polaris Music Prize will not host a gala this year. Plans for the announcement of this year's winner will be made public soon.
In the meantime, revisit the announcement of the 2020 Polaris Music Prize winner:
