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Backxwash, the stage name of artist Ashanti Mutinta, poses in this undated photo Backxwash won the 2020 Polaris Music Prize for her album « God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It » The Project by Montreal-based transgender artist was selected by an 11-member jury as the Canadian Album of the Year for its artistic merit THE CANADIAN PRESS / HO – Mechant Vaporwave
MONTREAL –
Montreal rapper Backxwash won the Polaris Music Award for Best Canadian Album on Monday
The trans artist of Zambian origin has thus obtained recognition for his work on his latest album, « God Has Nothing to do With This Leave Him Out of It »
Backxwash, Ashanti Mutinta’s stage name, combines gothic elements of rap and metal with her own experiences of faith, family and queer identity
His album contains distorted samples of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and « In Heaven », a track from the David Lynch film « Eraserhead »
Ten Canadian artists competed Monday night for the Polaris Music Prize Among them, three had already won the prestigious prize of $ 50,000
Electronic music composer Caribou, DJ and record producer Kaytranada and singer-songwriter Lido Pimienta have each previously won the Polaris Award and were once again shortlisted for Best Canadian Album of the Year
The winner is chosen by an 11-member jury made up of music journalists and broadcasters who consider the album’s artistic merit, regardless of sales or genre
Other contenders included pop artist R&B Jessie Reyez, First Nations indie rock band Nehiyawak and artist Witch Prophet, real name Etmet Musa, a Toronto musician of Ethiopian descent.
The other nominees were the US-Girls, an American-Canadian experimental pop group, hip-hop singer Junia-T and R&B, and Pantayo, an all-female ensemble that combines traditional Philippine kulintang music with pop influences.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of the Polaris music competition tasked a group of filmmakers to bring each of the 10 named albums to life as short films, instead of hosting an in-person gala
The winner was announced after the presentation, which aired at 8 pm on the CBC Gem streaming service, CBC Music and CBCMusicca / Polaris Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages
Toronto rapper Haviah Mighty took home the ’13th Floor’ award last year, becoming the first female rapper to win the Polaris. Other winners include Jeremy Dutcher, Tanya Tagaq and Arcade Fire
Backxwash
News from around the world – CA – Montreal rapper Backxwash wins Polaris award for best Canadian album
