Daniel Lanois, Savannah Ré and Kathleen Edwards are among the artists with albums on the 2021 Polaris Music Prize Long List, which was unveiled on Tuesday.
Among the 40 albums selected by a panel of music writers, broadcasters and programmers are Lanois’ Heavy Sun, Ré’s Opia and Edwards’ Total Freedom. Also on the Long List are Charlotte Cardin’s Phoenix and Art Bergmann’s Late Stage Empire Dementia.
The Polaris Music Prize honours the best Canadian album released in the year that ended May 31, 2021.
The Long List will be whittled down to a Short List of 10 that will be announced on July 15. The winning artist, to be announced later this year, receives $50,000 and each of the nine finalists gets $3,000.
Last year’s Polaris Music Prize went to God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It by Backxwash.
Polaris Music Prize 2021 Long List:
Art Bergmann - Late Stage Empire DementiaBernice - Eau De BonjournoThe Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm WarningsLeanne Betasamosake Simpson - Theory of IceBIG|BRAVE - VitalCadence Weapon - Parallel WorldCharlotte Cardin - PhoenixCFCF - memorylandClairmont the Second - IT’S NOT HOW IT SOUNDSHelena Deland - Someone NewDijahSB - Head Above The WatersKathleen Edwards - Total FreedomDominique Fils-Aimé - Three Little WordsFiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition - Fiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous CompositionThanya Iyer - KINDYves Jarvis - Sundry Rock Song StockRochelle Jordan - Play With the ChangesLAL - Meteors Could Come DownDaniel Lanois - Heavy SunThierry Larose - CantalouRussell Louder - HumorElliot Maginot - Easy MorningMustafa - When Smoke RisesLaura Niquay - Waska MatisiwinNyssa - Girls Like MeThe OBGMs - The EndsDorothea Paas - Anything Can’t HappenKlô Pelgag - Notre-Dame-des-Sept-DouleursSavannah Ré - OpiaAllison Russell - Outside ChildJulien Sagot - SagotSargeant X Comrade - Magic RadioShabason, Krgovich & Harris - PhiladelphiaYu Su - Yellow River BlueJulian Taylor - The RidgeTEKE::TEKE - ShirushiTOBi - Elements Vol. 1Vagina Witchcraft - Vagina WitchcraftThe Weather Station - IgnoranceZoon - Bleached Wavves