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The winner of the inaugural will take home $10,000, which will be split between the song’s Canadian performers and credited songwriters. The winner will be announced at the Polaris Concert and Gala at ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½â€™s Massey Hall on Sept. 16.

Last month, Polaris announced a five-artist short list for the prize, made up of Mustafa,ÌýRibbon Skirt, Yves Jarvis, Lou-Adriane Cassidy andÌýSaya Gray.

The Star caught up with these five artists to break down their nominated songs.Ìý

Mustafa: “Gaza Is Calling”

Mustafa is a singer, songwriter and poet from ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, whose music blendsÌýNorth American folk with elements of traditional Sudanese and Middle Eastern music. On his Polaris Prize-nominated album “Dunya,” which arrived following the death of his older brother, Mustafa grapples with questions of faith and rootedness in the shadow of grief.Ìý

The aching song “Gaza Is Callingâ€� explores the relationship between Mustafa and his close childhood friend,Ìýwhose family fled from Gaza only to be caught up in new cycles of violence and trauma in their adopted home.ÌýThe song was co-written alongside Emmanuel Hailemariam and Simon Hessman, and features production from electronic musician Nicolas Jaar.

What is this song about and why do you think it connected with listeners?

“Gaza Is Calling” is about the freedom of the individual and it, in turn, became a song that’s about the freedom of an entire nation.

I think people connected to its openness — it’s not particularly a political anthem, you know. It’s a song about a relationship with someone who is standing at the receiving end of a lot of political turmoil. And I think everyone can feel that in some way. Everyone understands that there are walls or some sort pain that can exist in between them and the people that they love.

How did the song come together?

Initially, it was a folk song that I wrote in Stockholm with the help of Simon and Emmanuel on the guitar. I brought it to Nicolas Jaar because he’s one of my favourite producers in the world and he’s half-Palestinian. He was living in Bethlehem at the time and I thought: What a great ode to a song about a boy who fled his homeland, to have it lifted sonically by someone who has returned to their homeland for the first time.

You wrote this song years ago, but it arrived at a time when Gaza was very much in the news and on people’s minds. Do you think the song has taken on a new significance or meaning?

Yes. I think that’s the beautiful thing about songs is that they transform trough the years. Watching this song grow legs and grow meaning, and grow into a kind of armour for people who need it was really important for me.

Is there a lyric that means the most to you?

The opening lines: ”Which drug did you take to look at me that way? /ÌýDon’t take it again, but if you do, give me part of your day.”

These lyrics are a reminder that sometimes, the way you enter someone’s heart, or the way someone enters yours, is at their lowest point. I remember talking to this boy, and it was only when he was high or when he was hallucinating that I was able to reach him in some way. It’s not lost on me that sometimes the only opportunity we have to be seen is at our most vulnerable.

The song’s video,Ìýwhich stars Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid and Palestinian rapper MC Abdul, isÌýboth cinematic and heart-wrenching. (The video contrasts scenes of a mother and son living in the safety of exileÌýwith footage of two young Palestinians living in a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin).ÌýWhy was it important to shoot that video in the West Bank?Ìý

Bella and I had the idea for a long time. We came together with some other friends to shoot it in New Jersey, and we tried to create a makeshift set that basically felt like a Palestinian home in a ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ hood. I only realized weeks later that we didn’t have enough footage for a video.

I was able to connect with Sakir Khader, an unbelievable director in the West Bank, who was able to get parallel footage with a girl who felt to me like a younger Bella. It felt like a magic that I couldn’t have organized without those sudden changes, which were completely circumstantial. I think circumstance leads to beauty a lot of times.Ìý

Which songwriters do you draw inspiration from?

I love Cat Stevens. I think he’s one of the most important songwriters of all time.

When I think of grief and the way that grief is recounted perfectly, I think about Sufjan Stevens and his album “Carrie & Lowell,” and even his latest, “Javelin.” I think those records in a lot of ways have helped me understand writing. What he does is so profound.

Then there’s the Canadian greats: from Joni (Mitchell) to Leonard (Cohen) to Neil Young. And, oh my God, Cindy Lee. What a great songwriter. I’m really grateful to be born of a country with people who can be comfortably heralded as the most important songwriters of all time.

Is there another song you think should be on the Polaris Song Prize short list?

Anything from the newÌýDestroyerÌýalbumÌý(“Dan’s Boogie”) should be on the list.

Ribbon Skirt: “Wrong Planet�

Ribbon Skirt is a Montreal-based duo made up of vocalist and guitarist Tashiina Buswa and multi-instrumentalistÌýBilly Riley. The band’s debut studio album, the Polaris Prize-nominated “Bite Down,” is a jagged but propulsive collection of grungy rock songs that explore Buswa’sÌýexperiences as anÌýAnishinaabe woman.Ìý

We askedÌýBuswa about “Wrong Planet,” the band’s fury-filled single written in the shadow of theÌýnational crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

What is “Wrong Planet” about?

I wrote the lyrics in chunks over a period of time, chronologically from the first verse to the outro. The first verse and chorus was written the day after I took a very long bus ride and had a lot of time to think about what was coming next in my lifeÌý— which at the time felt like a weirdly ominous thing to think about.

The second verse came out all at once, as I thought about the reality of being an Indigenous woman, how much more at risk we are of disappearingÌý— physically or beyond — because of the colonial trauma we’ve endured for generations. I was also thinking about my family, symbolism in dreams, shape-shifting, fear of night, etc. I guess it gets a little bit surreal at points, which I think reflects the general chaos and uncertainty of living right now.

The outro came on the last day of writing and it took me many hours to write because of how it’s sung rhythmically. Lyrically I think it’s trying to grapple with the frustration of chasing peace like a dog chasing its own tail, always slightly out of reach!

How did the song come together?

This was one of the first Ribbon Skirt songs (Billy and I) wrote together, which I think ushered in this huge tonal shift for us compared to our previous band, Love Language.ÌýFor this song, specifically, we were trying to just really embrace noise, chaos, feedback, intensity.

At the end of the song, you let out this really intense, cathartic scream. How many times did you have to record that?

It was actually just one take!

Is there a lyric in the song that is particularly meaningful to you?Ìý

I think the line “She ended up in Red Lake / Skirting the highway / shape-shifter / you’re changing in the moonlightâ€� is probably the line that hits me hardest every time I listen to the song or sing it live. It’s a pretty personal line about a place that means a lot to my family symbolically and is the emotional clincher of the song for me.Ìý

Would you call this a “protest song”?

I honestly don’t really like putting hard labels like that on songs I writeÌý— they are always going to mean what they mean to people individually. That being said, this song definitely touches on events that have happened to myself and my family, which has been affected by colonial policies just like every Indigenous family in Canada.

Pretty much every Indigenous person I know has been affected by the (murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people) crisis, whether directly or indirectly. It’s horrible and it’s ongoing, and the government is perpetually not doing enough despite having clearly outlined deliverablesÌý— only 15 of the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action have been implemented in the last 10 years since the TRC was established. I could go on. It deeply pains me for our women, our girls and our two-spirit relatives.

Do you believe that artists have a role to play in addressing the political crises that our country is facing?

I can’t speak for anyone but myself, ultimately, but I think about that all the time: “How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?�

Your music has been described as “Indigenous futurism.” What does that term mean to you?

That term really just means Indigenous artists who are trying to bridge the gap between the past, present and future. I think the idea of an Indigenous person has been mythologized in the collective Canadian consciousness as a figure inherently rooted in the past, rather as someone who is living today in the modern world alongside every other Canadian and wants to forge a better future just like anyone else, while also carrying our traditions and culture into that future.

Is there another song you think should be on the Polaris Song Prize short list?

“� by Sister Ray. I really love their music and I think this song is a masterpiece. Also “� by Knitting!

Ìý

Yves Jarvis: “Gold Filigree”

Yves Jarvis is a Calgary-born, Montreal-based experimental artist. His fifth album, the Polaris Prize-shortlisted “All Cylinders,” is an exuberant, kaleidoscopic mishmash of funk, yacht rock and electrifying guitar theatrics.

We asked Jarvis about “Gold Filigree,” a sultry, slow-burning love song.

What’s this song about?

It’s broadly about infatuation. I was falling in love and was having vivid fantasies. Passion always evokes regality for me. There’s also a desperate yearning there.

How did it come together?Ìý

I recorded it as a plea, basically. It was just for my girl to hear at first.Ìý

This song has a very strong Prince vibe.

I think of Prince any time I tap into heat and romance.Ìý

Is there a lyric in the song that is particularly meaningful to you?

“The perfect patineâ€� is my favourite phrase in the song. The jewelry’s wear distinguishes its beauty. The particularities of its imperfections are where the beauty is.Ìý

There’s some amazing guitar work on this song, which arrives at a moment when electric guitar shredding isn’t really in vogue.

Guitar is in and out every few years. But it’s back now thanks to Steve Lacy, Mk.gee and the like. I’m never trying to showcase the guitar with a solo, just trying to make it sing and soar and sear.Ìý

A songwriter who inspires you?

Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder.

Is there another song you think should be on the Polaris Song Prize short list?Ìý

I think the opening track from my album “All Cylinders� is the greatest track I’ve ever made and one of Canada’s greatest cultural exports. I would be more sure-footed if that had been nominated. But no one else could have done “Gold Filigree� either. I’m the only nominee that wrote, produced and performed their entire work. It’s all me top to bottom. I punch way above my weight.

Ìý

Lou-Adriane Cassidy, “Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi�

Lou-Adriane Cassidy is a singer-songwriter from Quebec City whose unconventional approach to indie pop and folk rock make her one of the most unpredictable and exciting artists to emerge from Canada’s mighty French-language music scene.

Cassidy’s Polaris Prize-nominated album “Journal d’un Loup-Garou� is a theatrical, genre-blurring rock opera, one that blends deeply personal lyricism with colourful references to werewolves and fairy tales from her childhood.

We asked Cassidy about “Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi,” anÌýemotional, disco-pop epic she co-wrote with producerÌýAlexandre Martel. On the song,ÌýCassidy explores her complex relationship with her father, who abandoned her when she was 16.Ìý

What is “Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moiâ€� about?Ìý

It’s a song about my father and it contains a lot of references to “E.T.� (the 1982 family sci-fi film), which I watched a lot with him when I was younger. It’s a song about having a relationship with someone that ends really abruptly.

The song is intense and emotional, but not sad. It’s me, crying at the top of the mountain, screaming to the sky.

Why did this song connect with listeners?

I don’t know! There’s not really a chorus and it’s a pretty complicated, unpredictable song. But I wanted it to have a flow that never stops, in a way that sweeps you along and carries you to the end of the song.

The strings in the second half of the song are really beautiful and cinematic. Did you arrange those?

Yes, I arranged the strings. There’s a musical theatre side of me that is never far away.

What emotions were you trying to tap into?

There’s a desperate aspect to this song. I sing ”ta lumière est sur moi,” which means “your light is on me” — that’s a line about a need to prove myself to someone who literally doesn’t care and cannot hear me.Ìý

But also, there’s hope:Ìýto grow from that experience and get stronger from within that suffering. It’s got despair and hope at the same time.

Is there a specific lyric that means a lot to you?

“Existais-tu vraiment?” (”Are you really real?â€�). It’s the final line in the song. And it’s like: here’s this big song with big arrangements and all these memories, but in the end I’m left with a ghost.Ìý

Who is a songwriter that inspires you right now?

I have a lot of admiration for Mitski. I love the way she mixes her melodies and chord progressions. I feel like it’s always surprising, but it always flows, and there are hooks that listeners can connect with.Ìý

Is there another song you think should be on the Polaris Song Prize short list?Ìý

My best friend Ariane Roy, who is an incredible artist — I wrote the song “Ariane” on my album for her — she has a new album from this year called “Dogue,” and it has this song “I.W.Y.B.,” which stands for “I Want Your Body.” It’s this unapologetically, mad song, but also really dancey. I think she has great musical ideas and I have a lot of admiration for her.

Ìý

Saya Gray: “Shell (of Man)”

Saya Gray is a singer-songwriter and pop experimentalist from ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. Her Polaris Prize-nominated “Saya” is a sonically dense album filled with quirky production and big hooks.Ìý

“Shell (of a Man)” is an irresistible song about heartbreak, on which Gray tampers her seething bitterness with dreamy slide guitar and lush vocal harmonies.Ìý

Why do you think this song connected with listeners?

I think anyone who has felt heartbreak or confusion in this world —Ìýor anyone who has a sense of their own sense of grief, and the need for forgiveness and moving forward in their livesÌý— will understand this song.Ìý

How did it comeÌýtogether?

It really was a train of thought that started this song. And the feeling of change.

Was there aÌýspecific emotion you were trying to tap into?

I wanted to tell a story without really telling it — little pieces that stick together and make a frame of an experience that anyone can put their spin on.

Is there a standout lyric for you?

“How do I get past the past?”

What makes a great song?

Honesty! A song that really hits you. Leonard Cohen always did that for me.