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FYI

Three Canadians Place In 2020 Global Artist Top 10 Chart

Korean boy band BTS took top honour in international music industry trade org

Three Canadians Place In 2020 Global Artist Top 10 Chart

By FYI Staff

Korean boy band BTS took top honour in international music industry trade org IFPI’s 2020 annual global recording artist of the year award, a distinction calculated on global streams and sales, but Canada’s count in the top 10 was more than impressive.


Drake and The Weeknd placed 3rd and 4th after Taylor Swift, with Billie Eilish, Eminem, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, and Juice Wrld snatching positions 5 through 9, and Justin Bieber taking 10th place in the countdown.

Drake had two previous wins: placing at No. 1 in 2018 and 2016.

Respectively, by country, Canada placed 2nd on the list, with 6 American artists in the top 10, Canada with three, and Korea with one.

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Amber Still, executive director of the Polaris Music Prize
Johanna Stickland

Amber Still, executive director of the Polaris Music Prize

Awards

‘Protect the Prize’: The Polaris Music Prize Undergoes Its Biggest Period of Change

Now entering its third decade, the Canadian critic’s prize has expanded its voting pool, adjusted to financial constraints and expanded to award both albums and songs. After years defined by its refined focus, the changes mark a major expansion of the organization’s mission.

In 2025, the Polaris Music Prize celebrated its 20th anniversary. Entering its third decade, the award is undergoing what might be its biggest period of change. From funding to voting process, the organization is continuing to evolve.

The cultural not-for-profit organization has spent the better part of two decades creating a space in the industry for Canadian acts to be recognized based solely artistic merit, rather than sales, genre or support from a record label. Founded in the 2000s as Canada's answer to the Mercury Prize, the organization became a registered Canadian charity in 2017.

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