The longlist has been revealed for this year’s Polaris Prize, which annually honours one album by a Canadian artist as determined by a panel of critics.
Among the artists to be nominated for the 2021 iteration are singer-songwriter Mustafa for his debut studio album ‘When Smoke Rises’, and The Weather Station, who released latest LP ‘Ignorance’ in February.
Other artists to appear in this year’s longlist include Cadence Weapon, DijahSB, CFCF, Yves Jarvis, The Besnard Lakes, Yu Su, Daniel Lanois and Thierry Larose. See the full list below – the shortlist will be revealed next month on July 15.
The winner of last year’s Polaris Prize was Montreal-based experimental rapper Backxwash. She received the honour for her debut studio album ‘God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It’.
“I think all my music was missing was a personal story, and I was afraid to put that on the record,” the rapper said when accepting the prize – her win marking the first time a Black transgender artist had received the prestigious award.
“I just pulled the lever, and just put that on the record, and expressed myself as honestly as possible.”
Other artists to win the Polaris Prize since its inception in 2006 include Caribou, Fucked Up, Arcade Fire, Feist, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Kaytranada.
The 2021 Polaris Prize longlist is:
Art Bergmann – ‘Late Stage Empire Dementia’
Bernice – ‘Eau De Bonjourno’
The Besnard Lakes – ‘The Besnard Lakes Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings’
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – ‘Theory of Ice’
BIG|BRAVE – ‘Vital’
Cadence Weapon – ‘Parallel World’
Charlotte Cardin – ‘Phoenix’
CFCF – ‘memoryland’
Clairmont the Second – ‘IT’S NOT HOW IT SOUNDS’
Helena Deland – ‘Someone New’
DijahSB – ‘Head Above The Waters’
Kathleen Edwards – ‘Total Freedom’
Dominique Fils-Aimé – ‘Three Little Words’
Fiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition – ‘Fiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition’
Thanya Iyer – ‘KIND’
Yves Jarvis – ‘Sundry Rock Song Stock’
Rochelle Jordan – ‘Play With the Changes’
LAL – ‘Meteors Could Come Down’
Daniel Lanois – ‘Heavy Sun’
Thierry Larose – ‘Cantalou’
Russell Louder – ‘Humor’
Elliot Maginot – ‘Easy Morning’
Mustafa – ‘When Smoke Rises’
Laura Niquay – ‘Waska Matisiwin’
Nyssa – ‘Girls Like Me’
The OBGMs – ‘The Ends’
Dorothea Paas – ‘Anything Can’t Happen’
Klô Pelgag – ‘Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs’
Savannah Ré – ‘Opia’
Allison Russell – ‘Outside Child’
Julien Sagot – ‘Sagot’
Sargeant X Comrade – ‘Magic Radio’
Shabason, Krgovich & Harris – ‘Philadelphia’
Yu Su – ‘Yellow River Blue’
Julian Taylor – ‘The Ridge’
TEKE::TEKE – ‘Shirushi’
TOBi – ‘Elements Vol. 1’
Vagina Witchcraft – ‘Vagina Witchcraft’
The Weather Station – ‘Ignorance’
Zoon – Bleached Wavves’
The post Mustafa, The Weather Station among Polaris Prize 2021 longlist nominees appeared first on NME.
