Albums by The Weeknd and Jessie Reyez are among 40 chosen for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize Long List.
The Weeknd’s After Hours and Reyez’s BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US made the cut along with releases from Caribou, Daniel Caesar, William Prince, Sarah Harmer and Owen Pallett.
The Polaris Music Prize honours the best Canadian album released in the year that ended May 31, 2020. A jury of 201 considered 223 eligible albums.
MORE: Albums By 7 Canadians Among Billboard List Of Year's 50 Best
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.
The 2020 Polaris Music Prize Long List:
Allie X – Cape God
Anachnid – Dreamweaver
Aquakultre – Legacy
Marie-Pierre Arthur – Des feux pour voir
Backxwash – God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It
Badge Époque Ensemble – Badge Époque Ensemble
Begonia – Fear
P’tit Belliveau – Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Caribou – Suddenly
Daniel Caesar – CASE STUDY 01
Chocolat – Jazz engagé
Louis-Jean Cormier – Quand la nuit tombe
Corridor – Junior
dvsn – A Muse In Her Feelings
Jacques Greene – Dawn Chorus
Sarah Harmer – Are You Gone
Ice Cream – FED UP
Junia-T – Studio Monk
Kaytranada – Bubba
Flore Laurentienne – Volume 1
Cindy Lee – What’s Tonight To Eternity?
Men I Trust – Oncle Jazz
nêhiyawak – nipiy
OBUXUM – Re-Birth
Owen Pallett – Island
Pantayo – Pantayo
Lido Pimienta – Miss Colombia
Joel Plaskett – 44
William Prince – Reliever
Jessie Reyez – BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US
Andy Shauf – The Neon Skyline
Riit – ataataga
Super Duty Tough Work – Studies in Grey
U.S. Girls – Heavy Light
Leif Vollebekk – New Ways
Wares – Survival
The Weeknd – After Hours
WHOOP-Szo – Warrior Down
Witch Prophet – DNA Activation
Zen Bamboo – GLU