The Short List for the first-ever SOCAN Polaris Song Prize
We’ve had the Polaris Music Prize for close to two decades (2025 is its 20th anniversary), which honours the best Canadian albums of the last year. But what about individual songs? This concept, in discussion for some time, has finally become a reality.
In conjunction with SOCAN, Canada’s performing rights society (which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year), Polaris created the SOCAN Song Prize to honour the Canadian song of the year. Commercial success? Genre? Radio airplay? Pfft. It’s all about being the best song.
Here is the first-ever Short List:
- Lou-Adriane Cassidy — “Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi,” written by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Alexandre Martel
- Saya Gray — “SHELL (OF A MAN),” written by Saya Gray and John Mavro
- Yves Jarvis — “Gold Filigree,” written by Yves Jarvis
- Mustafa — “Gaza is Calling,” written by Mustafa Ahmed, Emmanuel Hailemariam, Simon Hessman and Nicolas Jaar
- Ribbon Skirt — “Wrong Planet,” written by Tashiina Buswa and Billy Riley
The winning song will be revealed on September 16 at the Polaris Gala at Massey Hall in Toronto.
