Polaris Music Prize announces the 2020 Short List

From New Wave shoegaze from Treaty 6 territory to pop, punk, R&B with elements of traditional Filapino kulintang, to the current ruler of Billboard’s R&B Album charts, the revealed 2020 Polaris Music Prize Short List is carrying on the tradition of highlighting the true strength of the voices and stories from across the country, and beyond.

Pared down from the original list of 40 Long List albums, the 10 album Polaris Prize Short List was revealed with help from CBC Music’s Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe and during a Polaris Prize Short List radio special yesterday afternoon that aired across Canada via CBC Music and the CBC Listen app.

The 10 album Short List includes past winners, Caribou, Kaytranada and Lido Pimienta, and past nominees U.S. Girls and Jessie Reyez.

Looking ahead to the reveal of the 2020 Polaris Music Prize winner, the annual monetary award of $50,000 will be announced alongside a cinematic tribute to all ten nominees on October 19.  The Prize goes to the artist that creates the Canadian Album of the Year, as judged by an independent jury of music journalists based solely on artistic merit and without consideration of genre or record sales. Additionally, the nine other nominated acts whose albums make the 2019 Short List will receive $3,000 each courtesy of Slaight Music.

The Polaris Music Prize cinematic tribute will be broadcast across Canada on the CBC Gem streaming service, CBC Music’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages and around the globe at CBCMusic.ca/Polaris.

Here are your 2020 Polaris Music Prize Short List nominees:

Backxwash God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It
Caribou Suddenly
Junia-T Studio Monk
Kaytranada Bubba
nêhiyawak nipiy
Pantayo Pantayo
Lido Pimienta Miss Colombia
Jessie Reyez Before Love Came To Kill Us
U.S. Girls Heavy Light
Witch Prophet DNA Activation