Canada’s most artistic music awards has announced a short list of 10 albums.
The Polaris Music Prize released the 2016 contenders on Thursday.
Photo Credit: Polaris Music Prize.
Included in the short list is:
- Black Mountain – IV
- Basia Bulat – Good Advice
- Grimes – Art Angels
- Carly Rae Jepsen – E•MO•TION
- Kaytranada – 99.9%
- Jessy Lanza – Oh No
- PUP – The Dream Is Over
- Andy Shauf – The Party
- U.S. Girls – Half Free
- White Lung – Paradise
Bulat now joins Caribou, Drake, Metric, Shad and Owen Pallett as the only acts to be nominated for the short list three times including in 2008, 2014 and 2016.
This is second time Black Mountain, Grimes and Jesse Lanza have made the short list.
Carly Rae Jepsen, Kaytranada, PUP Andy Shauf, U.S. Girls and White Lung are all first-time nominees.
The Polaris Music Prize will award $50,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. Each of the nine other short list artists will receive $3,000 courtesy of Slaight Music.
The albums are judged only on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales.
The prize’s past winners include Buffy Sainte-Marie (2015), Tanya Tagaq (2014), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2013), Feist (2012), Arcade Fire (2011), Karkwa (2010), Fucked Up (2009), Caribou (2008), Patrick Watson (2007) and Final Fantasy /Owen Pallett (2006).
Each album considered for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize were released from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016.
Each is judged by music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada, who determine the long list and short list. Eleven people are selected to gather on the night of the Polaris Gala to select the Polaris Music Prize winner.
