Tonight, the spotlight shines on Canadian music as the 2025 Polaris Music Prize Gala takes over Massey Hall in Toronto. One of the ten Short Listed albums will be crowned the Canadian Album of the Year, an honour that comes with a $30,000 award courtesy of the Slaight Family Foundation. To mark the occasion, we’ve created a special playlist featuring a couple of tracks from each of this year’s finalists, paired with selections from past Polaris winners spanning the last two decades.

It’s a musical journey through the heart of what Polaris stands for: artistic excellence judged solely on merit—no sales figures, no genre limitations, just the music itself.

The 2025 Polaris Short List

This year’s ten finalists showcase the breadth and diversity of Canadian music in 2025:

  • Feu de garde – Bibi Club
  • City of Clowns – Marie Davidson
  • Journal d’un Loup-Garou – Lou-Adriane Cassidy
  • Dunya – Mustafa
  • Verbathim – Nemahsis
  • Bite Down – Ribbon Skirt
  • Maintenant Jamais – Population II
  • SAYA – Saya Gray
  • SORRY, IT’S OVER – The OBGMs
  • All Cylinders – Yves Jarvis

This year’s Short List is especially exciting, with three returning nominees—Marie Davidson (2019), Mustafa (2021), and The OBGMs (2021)—and seven first-time finalists, including Bibi Club, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Saya Gray, Yves Jarvis, Nemahsis, Population II, and Ribbon Skirt.

A Legacy of Winners

Since 2006, Polaris has crowned albums that push boundaries and define eras of Canadian music. Past winners include Feist, Arcade Fire, Tanya Tagaq, Kaytranada, Jeremy Dutcher, Haviah Mighty, Backxwash, Cadence Weapon, Pierre Kwenders, Debby Friday, and most recently, Jeremy Dutcher again in 2024.

Our playlist pairs today’s contenders with these past champions, offering both a snapshot of the current moment and a celebration of the award’s 20-year legacy.

About Polaris

The Polaris Music Prize is unique in its focus on artistic merit alone. With a jury of over 200 critics, broadcasters, curators, and academics from across Canada, Polaris shines a light on the albums that shape our culture, regardless of genre or commercial success. The winning album is selected tonight by an 11-member Grand Jury, chosen from the larger pool.

And 2025 is an especially big year: Polaris is celebrating its 20th anniversary with new initiatives, including the SOCAN Song Prize, a revamped Heritage Prize, and the upcoming Polaris Festival, set to feature salons, listening parties, poster exhibits, and performances across multiple venues.

The Gala

Tonight’s Concert & Award Ceremony, powered by FACTOR, will feature performances by many of the Short List nominees, including Bibi Club, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Marie Davidson, Saya Gray, Yves Jarvis, Nemahsis, The OBGMs, Population II, and Ribbon Skirt. Hosting the evening is none other than Haviah Mighty, the 2019 Polaris winner.

It’s the third straight year that Polaris has brought the Gala to the iconic Massey Hall—a perfect stage to mark 20 years of championing Canadian music that inspires, challenges, and endures.

🎥 Find out how to watch and listen live here: CBC Music – Polaris Music Prize 2025 Gala

Listen Now: The Polaris 2025 Playlist

🎶 Featuring a couple of tracks from each of this year’s 10 Short Listed albums, plus songs from past winners across two decades of Polaris history.

👉 [Listen to the Polaris 2025 Playlist on Spotify / TIDAL / YouTube]

So as we count down to tonight’s big reveal, take a moment to immerse yourself in the sounds that have defined the conversation this year—and the voices that have shaped Polaris history.

Happy Polaris Day, and happy listening!

https://tidal.com/playlist/fc0a4d5a-1c58-49ef-886f-0478a15b2cfc