Global stars, veterans, and up-and-comers in a range of genres are all represented on the Polaris Music Prize long list this year. Albums by Voivod, Fucked Up, Jessie Reyez, Shawn Mendes and Carly Rae Jepsen are among the 40 titles up for Canada’s album of the year, as determined by a jury of selected music media.
The announcement for the national prize was made today from The Forks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and webcast live on the Polaris Music Prize’s Facebook page (see the full list below).
The 199-member jury of music journalists, bloggers, broadcasters, and other approved music media, submitted their top 5 earlier this month from 233 recommended albums. From the 40, the same jurors will next select their top 5, which will be tallied to comprise the final 10-album short list, to be announced July 16.
The winner will be revealed at the Polaris gala on Sept. 16 at Toronto’s Carlu — battled out behind closed doors the night of by an 11-member “grand jury” who debate each album’s merits and cast a series of private votes — and will be live streamed on cbcmusic.ca/polaris.
The albums are judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre, record sales or professional affiliation. The official eligibility period for the titles is from June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019. (Note: Albums released between May 1 and May 31, 2018 that did not make the 2018 Long List are also considered.)
The Polaris Music Prize awards $50,000 to the winner. Additionally, Slaight Music gives $3,000 to each of the other nine short-listed nominees.
Today’s announcement was made by 2015 Polaris Music Prize winner Buffy Sainte-Marie; Weakerthans guitarist Stephen Carroll, music programs manager at Manitoba Film and Music; Wab Kinew, a former CBC host, now Leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba; and Polaris juror Ashley Bieniarz of Winnipeg Music Project.
Past short list and current long list nominee Snotty Nose Rez Kids performed.
Past winners of the Prize are: Jeremy Dutcher (2018), Lido Pimienta (2017), Kaytranada (2016), 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).
The 2019 Polaris Music Prize Long List is:
Tim Baker – Forever Overhead
Tanika Charles – The Gumption
Clairmont The Second – Do You Drive?
Charlotte Cornfield – The Shape of Your Name
Marie Davidson – Working Class Woman
Dilly Dally – Heaven
The Dirty Nil – Master Volume
Dizzy – Baby Teeth
Elisapie – The Ballad of the Runaway Girl
FET.NAT – Le Mal
Dominique Fils-Aimé – Stay Tuned!
Fucked Up – Dose Your Dreams
Yves Jarvis – The Same But By Different Means
Carly Rae Jepsen – Dedicated
Kaia Kater – Grenades
Kimmortal – X Marks the Swirl
La Force – La Force
LAL – Dark Beings
Laurence-Anne – Première apparition
Salomé Leclerc – Les choses extérieures
Lee Harvey Osmond – Mohawk
Jean Leloup – L’étrange pays
Shay Lia – Dangerous
Les Louanges – La nuit est une panthère
Loud – Tout ça pour ça
Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes
Haviah Mighty – 13th Floor
Operators – Radiant Dawn
Orville Peck – Pony
Sandro Perri – In Another Life
PUP – Morbid Stuff
Lee Reed – The Steal City EP
Jessie Reyez – Being Human In Public
Shad – A Short Story About a War
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – Trapline
Alexandra Stréliski – Inscape
sydanie – 999
TOBi – STILL
Voivod – The Wake
Wintersleep – In The Land Of