Polaris Music Prize Short List: Meet the 10 Canadian Artists
Feist, Daniel Caesar, The Sadies and Alvvays are among the 10 artists shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.
The $50,000 Polaris Prize recognizes the best Canadian album of the year, judged solely on artistic merit, without regard to genre or record sales. The winner will be crowned at the Polaris Gala on September 19 at Massey Hall.
Other nominees for this year’s shortlist include Aysanabee, Begonia, Debby Friday, Gayance, Dan Mangan and Snotty Nose Rez Kids.
“This year’s 2023 shortlist highlights the impressive and ever-evolving dynamics of Canadian music from artists at all stages of their careers,” said Melissa Vincent, jury president of Polaris, in a statement. “At a time when our attention has become a valuable commodity, these 10 records deserve a deep, slow listen. We invite you to sink your teeth into it.”
Last year, Montreal-based artist Pierre Kwenders won for his album ‘José Louis and the Paradox of Love’. In 2021, Edmonton-born Toronto rapper Cadence Weapon won the award for his album ‘Parallel World’.
Here’s a closer look at the 2023 nominees.
Alvvays: Blue Rev
Originally from Charlottetown, the power pop indie band’s third album was released last October to near-universal acclaim (Pitchfork named “Belinda Says” the best song of 2022). This is the third time Alvvays has been shortlisted for the Polaris.
Aysanabee: Watin
Aysanabee (born Evan Pang), an Oji-Cree singer-songwriter from Sandy Lake First Nation, released his moving and deeply personal debut album last November. “Watin”, which features several spoken interludes from Pang’s grandfather, earned Aysanabee a nomination for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year at the 2023 Juno Awards. This is his first Polaris nomination.
Begonia: powder blue
Begonia is the stage name of Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter and pop artist Alexa Dirks, whose third album “Power Blue” was released last February. Dirks used to be a member of the Juno Award-winning band Chic Gamine. This is her first time on the Polaris shortlist.
Daniel Caesar: Never enough
The Scarborough-born, Oshawa-raised R&B/soul singer became an international star in 2021 after appearing in the Justin Bieber hit ‘Peaches’. But the 28-year-old has been a mainstay on the local Toronto scene since 2017’s “Freudian,” which was also nominated for the Polaris shortlist. “Never Enough,” which came out in April, features appearances from Ty Dolla $ign, serpentwithfeet, Omar Apollo and Mustafa. This is his second shortlisted appearance.
Debby Friday: good luck
In March, Nigerian-born, Toronto-based electronic artist Debby Good released her debut studio album, a powerful blend of industrial rock, pop, techno and drill music. This is the first appearance on Friday’s shortlist.
Feist: Masses
Singer-songwriter Leslie Feist is no stranger to the Polaris Music Prize – she won the award in 2012 for “Metals” and has been shortlisted four times. Her sixth studio album Multitudes, released in April, is an intimate folk record that explores themes surrounding the birth of her adopted daughter and the death of her father.
Gayance: Masquerade
Gayance is the stage name of Aïsha Vertus, a Montreal-born Haitian-Canadian whose music combines elements of jazz, house, electronic and Brazilian dance music. Masquerade is her debut album; this is her first time on the Polaris shortlist.
Dan Mangan: Being somewhere
Vancouver indie folk singer Dan Mangan released his seventh studio album “Being Somewhere” last October. This is the second time Mangan has been shortlisted by Polaris.
The Sadies: colder streams
The beloved Toronto country rock band’s 11th studio album was the last LP recorded before founding member Dallas Good’s death last February (Good died of natural causes at age 48). This is The Sadies’ second time on Polaris’ short list, though they’ve made the long list five times.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids: I’m good, HBU?
Snotty Nose Rez Kids is a duo of Haisla rappers Darren “Young D” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce from Kitamaat Village, British Columbia. Their fifth album “I’m Good, HBU?” arrived December last year. This is the fourth time the group has been shortlisted by Polaris.
