The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award. In May 2015, it was announced the Polaris Music Prize winner will now receive $50,000, an additional $20,000, thanks to the sponsorship of Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes which go to the nine other acts on the Short List will increase from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced they will be creating The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, a sort of hall of fame award that "will annually honour five albums from the five decades before Polaris launched in 2006." Details about the selection process for this prize are still to be revealed.
One Hundred Dollars, sometimes seen as $100, is a Canadian alternative country band. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band currently consists of Simone Schmidt on vocals, Ian Russell on acoustic guitar, Stew Crookes on pedal steel, Paul Mortimer on electric guitar, Kyle Porter on bass, Dave Clarke on drums, and occasionally Jonathan Adjemian on organ and keyboards.
Sound Kapital is Handsome Furs' third full-length album. It was released through Sub Pop Records on June 28, 2011. According to a press release, Sound Kapital is inspired by the electronic and industrial music of 1980s Eastern Europe and it is the first album that Dan Boeckner wrote entirely on keyboards, although most songs do include guitars.
Little Red Boots is a studio album by Lindi Ortega, released in 2011. Music videos were shot for "Little Lie" and "Black Fly".
The 2011 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2011 The winner was Arcade Fire, for the album The Suburbs.
Oh Fortune is the Juno Award-winning third album by Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, released on September 27, 2011 on the Arts & Crafts label. The album debuted on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart the week of October 15, 2011, at number nine.
Voyageur is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards, released on January 17, 2012. The album was produced by Edwards and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Voyageur reached the 39th position on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming Edwards' first top 100 and top 40 album in the US, and her first top ten album in Canada, peaking at number two.
Provincial is the debut solo album by John K. Samson, released January 24, 2012 on ANTI-. The album includes re-recorded versions of the six songs from Samson's earlier EPs City Route 85 and Provincial Road 222, as well as six songs not heard on those EPs.
Impossible Spaces is the second full-length album by Toronto musician Sandro Perri under his own name. Pitchfork placed the album at number 38 on its list of the "Top 50 albums of 2011".
Rich Aucoin is a Canadian indie rock musician, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the younger brother of Paul Aucoin of Hylozoists. He performs and records both as a solo artist and as a collaborator and guest musician in Hylozoists.
Scrappy Happiness is an album by Joel Plaskett Emergency released on March 27, 2012. The album followed a unique release strategy, in which the band recorded one song each week for ten weeks, immediately releasing it for airplay on CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3 and to iTunes for sale as a single, before releasing the 10 songs as a complete album in conventional formats on March 27.
A Tribe Called Red is a Canadian electronic music group, who blend instrumental hip hop, reggae, moombahton and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chanting and drumming. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, the group consists of Tim "2oolman" Hill, and Ehren "Bear Witness" Thomas. Former members include co-founder DJ Jon Deck and Dan "DJ Shub" General, who left the band for personal reasons in spring 2014, and was replaced by Hill. Co-founder Ian "DJ NDN" Campeau left the band for health reasons in October 2017, with the band opting to remain a duo for the time being.
Marie-Pierre Arthur is the stage name of Marie-Pierre Fournier, a Canadian pop singer-songwriter from Quebec. Originally from Grande-Vallée, she is currently based in Montreal.
Parlovr is a Canadian indie rock band. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the band consists of vocalist and keyboardist Alex Cooper, vocalist and guitarist Louis David Jackson and drummer Jeremy McCuish.
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan is a Canadian experimental music and performance art collective. Formed in Montreal, Quebec and currently operating between Montreal and Toronto, Ontario, the group's core members are Ruby Kato Attwood and Alaska B, with supporting members including John Ancheta on bass and acoustic guitar, Ange Loft and Walter Scott on vocals, Shub Roy on guitar, Brendan Swanson on keyboards, Alana Ruth on lights, Daniel Ellis and Chase Lo as dancers and Aylwin Lo as a projectionist.
The Slakadeliqs are a Canadian soul and R&B band. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band is fronted by musician and producer Slakah the Beatchild, who was previously best known as a producer for artists such as D. O., Divine Brown, Miles Jones and Drake.
METZ is a Canadian punk rock band from Ontario, formed in Ottawa and based in Toronto. The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach and drummer Hayden Menzies.
The 2015 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2015 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The event was hosted by children's entertainer Fred Penner.
The 2016 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2016 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The hosts of the gala were broadcasters Tom Power and Amanda Parris.
