Here's the 2022 Polaris Music Prize short list
Plus, how CBC Music plans to celebrate the 10 albums vying for the $50K grand prize
The Polaris Music Prize has revealed its 2022 short list, which includes artists from five provinces and, for the first time, three French-language albums.
The 40 previously longlisted albums have been narrowed down to the following 10:
- Labyrinthitis, Destroyer.
- José Louis and the Paradox of Love, Pierre Kwenders.
- Chiac Disco, Lisa LeBlanc.
- Pictura de ipse: Musique directe, Hubert Lenoir.
- Waves, Kelly McMichael.
- Sewn Back Together, Ombiigizi.
- Frame of a Fauna, Ouri.
- Tao, Shad.
- Life After, Snotty Nose Rez Kids.
- Alpha, Charlotte Day Wilson.
St. John's singer-songwriter Kelly McMichael, Anishinaabe duo Ombiigizi (a collaboration between Status/Non Status's Adam Sturgeon and Zoon's Daniel Monkman) and Montreal producer Ouri are all first-time nominees, up for their respective debut records. This year counts Shad's fifth Polaris shortlist nomination, which makes him the most shortlisted artist of all time (he appeared on the short list in 2008, 2010, 2014, 2019 and this year).
The winning album will be chosen by an 11-member grand jury and announced at the first in-person Polaris Music Prize gala since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It will take place on Monday, Sept. 19, at the Carlu in Toronto.
Shortlist Summer
For the second year in a row, CBC Music will present Shortlist Summer, a series of special programming on radio, digital and social platforms leading up to the Polaris gala to celebrate this year's shortlisted albums.
Shortlist Summer will consist of Shortlist Shortcuts, a weekly series on CBCMusic.ca beginning Monday, July 18, that highlights one important gateway song from each of the nominated albums, as told by the shortlisted artists. It will also include The Ten, an hour-long, weekly radio series airing Sunday evenings starting July 17 on CBC Music and CBC Listen at 6 p.m. (6:30 NT), until Sunday, Sept. 18. Hosted by A. Harmony, each instalment will focus on one of the 10 shortlisted albums in the lead-up to the 2022 Polaris Music Prize winner announcement.
Go to cbcmusic.ca/polaris and follow CBC Music on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook for more Polaris Music Prize coverage.
Every year since 2006, the Polaris Music Prize has been awarded to a Canadian album of distinction, without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity. The winning album receives a cash prize of $50,000; each of the nine runners-up from the short list receives $3,000.