2020 in Canadian music

The following musical events and releases are expected to happen in 2020 in Canada.

List of years in Canadian music
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Music of Canada
Genres
Blues classical country grime hip hop jazz punk rock Latin subgenres
Specific forms
Ethnic music	Overview Aboriginal Blackfeet Dene Innu Inuit Iroquois Kwakwaka'wakw Métis Celtic French
Instrumental repertoires	Canadian fiddle
Media and performance
Music awards	Junos Polaris Félixes Hall of Fame ECMAs Atlantis WCMAs CASBYs CRMAs CCMAs MMVAs CUMAs CFMAs
Music charts	Canadian Hot 100 Singles Chart (Jam!) Chart Attack Exclaim! CBC Music Top 20
Music festivals	Many notables Canadian Music Week Quebec City Summer Festival Montreal International Jazz Festival Les FrancoFolies de Montréal Ottawa Bluesfest Big Valley Jamboree Celtic Colours Havelock Country Jamboree
Music media	Print media La Scena Musicale CM ChartAttack Exclaim! The Record RPM The Coast Music television ATN B4U Music aux.tv bpm:tv CMT MuchLoud MuchMore MuchMoreRetro MuchMusic MuchVibe MusiMax MusiquePlus PunchMuch
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem	"O Canada"
Other	Anthems and nationalistic
Regional music
Ontario Quebec British Columbia Prairie Provinces AB SK MB Newfoundland and Labrador Maritime Provinces NB PEI NS Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut

Events

• April 4 – 15th Canadian Folk Music Awards are announced online following the cancellation of the ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• May – Prism Prize
• June 15 – Preliminary longlist for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize is announced
• June 29 – Juno Awards of 2020 are announced online following the cancellation of the original March 15 ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• July – Shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize announced
• August 5 – SOCAN Songwriting Prize winners announced
• October 19 – Backxwash wins the 2020 Polaris Music Prize for the album God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It.[1]
• November 1 - 42nd Felix Awards

Albums released

#

• 88Glam, New Mania - June 26

A

• Allie X, Cape God - February 21
• Don Amero, The Next Chapter - September 25[2]
• Ammoye, I Am Love
• Arkells, Campfire Chords - August 20[3]
• Tenille Arts, Love, Heartbreak, & Everything in Between - January 10[4]
• Aquakultre, Legacy - May 8[5]
• Aquakultre and Uncle Fester, Bleeding Gums Murphy - October 9[6]
• Art of Time Ensemble, Ain't Got Long
• Rich Aucoin, United States - September 18
• Austra, Hirudin - May 1[7]

B

• Backxwash, God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It[8]
• Bahamas, Sad Hunk - October 9
• Tim Baker, Survivors - July 10[9]
• Gary Beals, Bleed My Truth - October 23
• Belinda (Lisa LeBlanc), It's Not a Game, It's a Lifestyle[10]
• Beyries, Encounter[11]
• Laila Biali, Out of Dust
• Justin Bieber, Changes - February 14[12]
• Billy Talent, TBA
• The Birthday Massacre, Diamonds - March 27
• Bob Moses, Desire (EP) - August 28
• Born Ruffians, JUICE - April 3
• Braids, Shadow Offering - June 19[12]
• Dean Brody, Boys - November 18[13]
• Bruce Peninsula, No Earthly Sound - April 17
• Basia Bulat, Are You in Love? - March 27[12]

C

• Lou Canon, Audomatic Body
• Caribou, Suddenly - February 28[14]
• Carys, To Anyone Like Me[15]
• Jennifer Castle, Monarch Season - October 16[16]
• Cindy Lee, What's Tonight to Eternity
• Cindy Lee, Cat o' Nine Tails
• Clairmont the Second, It's Not How It Sounds - July 10

• Classified, Time - September 25
• Louis-Jean Cormier, Quand la nuit tombe
• Rose Cousins, Bravado - February 21[17]

D

• The Darcys, Fear & Loneliness - November 13
• The Dears, Lovers Rock - May 15
• Helena Deland, Someone New - October 16[18]
• Destroyer, Have We Met - January 31[12]
• Dizzy, The Sun and Her Scorch
• Dog Day, Present
• Gord Downie, Away Is Mine - October 16[19]
• Alan Doyle, Rough Side Out - February 14
• Drake, Dark Lane Demo Tapes - May 1
• Dvsn, A Muse in Her Feelings - April 17

E

• Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom - August 14[20]
• Elephant Stone, Hollow - February 14[21]
• Lindsay Ell, Heart Theory - August 14[22]
• Elliott Brood, Keeper - September 18[23]
• Eric Ethridge, Good with Me - October 30
• Evening Hymns, Heavy Nights - June 26

F

• Fast Romantics, Pick It Up
• The Franklin Electric, In Your Head/In Your Heart

G

• Hannah Georgas, All That Emotion
• Matthew Good, Moving Walls - February 21
• Grandson, Death of an Optimist - December 4
• Great Lake Swimmers, When Last We Shook Hands: Cover Songs, Vol. 1
• Great Lake Swimmers, Live in Ottawa at the 27 Club, October 3, 2019
• Grimes, Miss Anthropocene - February 21[12]
• Matthew Grimson, Prize for Writing

H

• Half Moon Run, The Covideo Sessions
• Half Moon Run, Seasons of Change
• Sarah Harmer, Are You Gone - February 21[24]
• High Valley, Grew Up On That[25]
• Matt Holubowski, Weird Ones
• Holy Fuck, Deleter - January 17[12]

J

• David James, If I Were You - March 13[26]
• Japandroids, Massey Fucking Hall - June 19[27]
• Yves Jarvis, Sundry Rock Song Stock - September 25
• Carly Rae Jepsen, Dedicated Side B - May 21[28]
• The Jerry Cans, Echoes - May 15[29]
• July Talk, Pray for It - July 10[30]
• Junia-T, Studio Monk

K

• Peter Katz, City of Our Lives
• Brett Kissel, Now or Never - January 1[31]
• k-os, Boshido - May 29
• Krief, Chemical Trance - August 14

L

• Land of Talk, Indistinct Conversations
• Jessy Lanza, All the Time - July 24[12]
• Laurence-Anne, Accident
• Shay Lia, Solaris - September 25
• Gordon Lightfoot, Solo - March 20
• Loud Luxury, Nights Like This - March 27
• Corb Lund, Agricultural Tragic - July 26

M

• Catherine Major, Carte mère
• Dan Mangan, Thief
• Cory Marks, Who I Am - August 7[32]
• Matthew Tavares & Leland Whitty, Visions - March 20
• Matt Mays, Dog City - August 28[33]
• Shawn Mendes, Wonder - December 4
• Tyler Joe Miller, Sometimes I Don't, But Sometimes I Do - November 6[34]
• Alanis Morissette, Such Pretty Forks in the Road - July 31[12]
• MSTRKRFT, Black Gloves - October 30
• David Myles, Leave Tonight - May 8

O

• Odario, Good Morning Hunter - October 23

P

• The Pack A.D., It Was Fun While It Lasted
• Partner, Never Give Up - November 20[35]
• PartyNextDoor, Partymobile - March 27
• PartyNextDoor, Partypack - October 16
• Orville Peck, Show Pony EP
• Klô Pelgag, Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
• Philémon Cimon, Philédouche
• Lido Pimienta, Miss Colombia
• Plants and Animals, The Jungle
• Joel Plaskett, 44 - April 17
• MacKenzie Porter, Drinkin' Songs: The Collection - November 6[36]
• William Prince, Reliever - February 7[12]
• William Prince, Gospel First Nation - October 23
• Protest the Hero, Palimpsest - June 18[21]
• P'tit Belliveau, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
• Purity Ring, Womb - April 3

R

• Allan Rayman, Christian - April 3
• Regina Gently, Don't Wait to Love Me - September 18[37]
• Noah Reid, Gemini - May 28
• The Reklaws, Sophomore Slump - October 16[38]
• Jessie Reyez, Before Love Came to Kill Us - March 27
• Daniel Romano, Content to Point the Way
• Daniel Romano, Dandelion
• Daniel Romano, Forever Love's Fool
• Daniel Romano, Okay Wow
• Daniel Romano, Spider Bite
• Daniel Romano, Super Pollen
• Daniel Romano, Visions of the Higher Dream - March 17[39]
• Daniel Romano, Daniel Romano's Outfit Do (What Could Have Been) Infidels By Bob Dylan & the Plugz
• Daniel Romano, White Flag

S

• Sam Roberts Band, All Of Us - October 16
• Seaway, Big Vibe - October 16[40]
• Andy Shauf, The Neon Skyline - January 24[41]
• Crystal Shawanda, Church House Blues - April 17
• Silverstein, A Beautiful Place to Drown - March 6
• Gord Sinclair, Taxi Dancers - February 28[42]
• Dallas Smith, Timeless - August 28[43]
• Summersets, Small Town Saturday[44]

T

• Julian Taylor, The Ridge - June 19
• Theory of a Deadman, Say Nothing - January 31
• Tobi, ELEMENTS Vol. 1 - October 21

U

• U.S. Girls, Heavy Light - March 6
• Terry Uyarak, Nunarjua Isulinginniani - October 30[45]

V

• Rosie Valland, Blue

W

• Rufus Wainwright, Unfollow the Rules - July 10[21]
• Colter Wall, Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs - August 28[46]
• We Are the City, RIP - January 24[21]
• Weaves, TBA[21]
• The Weeknd, After Hours - March 20[12]
• JJ Wilde, Ruthless
• Witch Prophet, DNA Activation - March 24
• Wolf Parade, Thin Mind - January 24[47]
• Donovan Woods, Without People - November 6[48]
• Roy Woods, Dem Times - May 15
• Hawksley Workman, Less Rage More Tears - October 23

Y

• Nikki Yanofsky, Turn Down the Sound - July 10
• Yukon Blonde, Vindicator - November 13

Z

• Zen Bamboo, Glu

Deaths

• January 7 - Neil Peart, 67, drummer for Rush[49]
• February 1 - George Blondheim, 63, pianist and composer[50]
• March 7 - Laura Smith, 67, folk singer-songwriter
• April 4 - Barry Allen, rock singer
• June 26 - Graeme Williamson, rock singer (Pukka Orchestra).[51]
• August 10 - Salome Bey, 86, blues singer[52]

References

1. Philippe Renaud, "La Montréalaise Backxwash remporte le prix Polaris". Le Devoir, October 19, 2020.
2. Dagg, Nanci (October 1, 2020). "Multiple award-winning country music artist Don Amero has released a new album The Next Chapter on the heels of his other successes". Canadian Beats Media. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
3. Brock Thiessen, "Arkells Strip Down for New Album 'Campfire Chords'". Exclaim!, July 30, 2020.
4. Brazis, Emily. "Love, Heartbreak, & Everything in Between by Tenille Arts". Roots Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
5. Oliver Crook, "Aquakultre Cement Their 'Legacy' as Canadian Neo-Soul Breakouts". Exclaim!, May 5, 2020.
6. Matt Bobkin, "Aquakultre and Uncle Fester Announce New Album 'Bleeding Gums Murphy'". Exclaim!, August 12, 2020.
7. Allie Gregory, "Hear Austra Join Forces with a Toronto Children's Choir on 'Mountain Baby'". Exclaim!, April 16, 2020.
8. Scott Simpson, "Backxwash Turns Hip-Hop on Its Head with Masterful 'God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It'". Exclaim!, May 28, 2020.
9. Allie Gregory (May 20, 2020). "Tim Baker Unveils 'Survivors' EP". Exclaim!.
10. Josée Lapointe, "Lisa LeBlanc et son alter ego disco-bingo". La Presse, June 14, 2020.
11. Kaelen Bell, "'Encounter' Shows Beyries' Hunger for Discovery". Exclaim!, November 13, 2020.
12. "25 Canadian albums to look forward to in 2020". CBC Music, December 30, 2019.
13. Doole, Kerry (November 22, 2020). "Dean Brody: Boys". FYI Music News. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
14. Minsker, Evan (December 4, 2019). "Caribou Announces New Album Suddenly, Shares New Song "You and I": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
15. Jacklyn (August 28, 2020). "CARYS Announces Anyone Like Me EP and Releases 'Crush' Single". Stage Right Secrets. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
16. Alex Robert Ross, "Jennifer Castle shares “Justice” and announces new album Monarch Season". The Fader, September 16, 2020.
17. Sarah Murphy, "Rose Cousins Reveals New Album 'Bravado'". Exclaim!, November 7, 2019.
18. Stuart Derdeyn, "5 things to know about Someone New by Helena Deland". Vancouver Sun, October 13, 2020.
19. Jesse Kinos-Goodin, "Listen to 2 songs from Gord Downie's final solo recording, Away is Mine". CBC Music, September 21, 2020.
20. Jonathan Bernstein, "Kathleen Edwards Left Behind Roots-Music Stardom to Sell Coffee. Now She’s Back". Rolling Stone, May 19, 2020.
21. Alex Hudson, "Exclaim!'s 31 Most Anticipated Canadian Albums of 2020". Exclaim!, January 6, 2020.
22. "Lindsay Ell Details New Album, 'Heart Theory'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
23. Calum Slingerland, "Elliott Brood Return with New Album 'Keeper'". Exclaim!, July 8, 2020.
24. Brock Thiessen, "Sarah Harmer Returns with Her First New Album in a Decade". Exclaim!, November 14, 2019.
25. Pearce, Drew (March 20, 2020). "High Valley 'Grew Up On That' in New Song, Upcoming EP". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
26. "CANADIAN COUNTRY ARTIST DAVID JAMES DELIVERS NEW EP "IF I WERE YOU", AVAILABLE TODAY (3/13)". MDM Recordings Inc. March 13, 2020.
27. Matt Bobkin, "Japandroids Announce New Live Album 'Massey Fucking Hall'". Exclaim!, May 27, 2020.
28. "CARLY RAE JEPSEN RELEASES SURPRISE ALBUM 'DEDICATED SIDE B'". Rolling Stone. May 21, 2020.
29. Allie Gregory, "Jerry Cans Unveil New Album 'Echoes,' Plot North American Tour". Exclaim!, January 22, 2020.
30. Allie Gregory, "July Talk Announce New Record 'Pray for It'". Exclaim!, April 2, 2020.
31. Parton, Chris (December 24, 2019). "Brett Kissel Plots New Year's Release of 'Now Or Never' Album". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
32. Brooks, Dave (August 11, 2020). "Cory Marks Debuts Long Awaited Next Generation Country Rock Record 'Who I Am'". Billboard.
33. Oliver Crook, "Matt Mays' 'Dog City' Turns a Corny Concept into a Heartwarming Experiment". Exclaim!, May 22, 2020.
34. Dagg, Nanci (November 7, 2020). "Tyler Joe Miller released his debut album Sometimes I Don't, But Sometimes I Do with two songs reaching #1 at Canadian country radio". Canadian Beats Media. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
35. Ian Gormely, "Partner 'Never Give Up' on Their Quest to Share the Power of Rock Music". Exclaim!, November 18, 2020.
36. Volmers, Eric (November 11, 2020). "On the rise: Alberta's MacKenzie Porter gets married, releases Nashville debut, Drinkin' Songs". The Telegram . Retrieved December 21, 2020.
37. Vish Khanna, "Regina Gently Channels the Joy of 'Electric Circus' on 'Don't Wait to Love Me'". Exclaim!, September 23, 2020.
38. Colley, Katie (October 16, 2020). "The Reklaws Debut New Album 'Sophomore Slump', Drop New Music Video For 'Not Gonna Not'". ET Canada.
39. Matt Bobkin, "Daniel Romano Enters Self-Quarantine, Surprise-Releases New Album". Exclaim!, March 17, 2020.
40. Seaway announce new album, 'Big Vibe' + release title-track
41. Allie Gregory, "Andy Shauf Announces New Album 'The Neon Skyline,' Hits Canada on World Tour". Exclaim!, October 23, 2019.
42. David Friend, "Former Tragically Hip bassist Gord Sinclair announces debut solo album Taxi Dancers". The Globe and Mail, January 10, 2020.
43. Colley, Katie (August 6, 2020). "Dallas Smith Announces New Album 'Timeless', Reveals Tracklisting". ET Canada. Corus Entertainment.
44. Sarah Chodos, "summersets' 'Small Town Saturday' Is Easy to Fall in Love With". Exclaim!, August 24, 2020.
45. Emma Tranter, "'I'm super Inuk': Nunavut singer Terry Uyarak releases songs in Inuktitut". CBC North, November 15, 2020.
46. https://www.jambase.com/article/colter-wall-new-album-western-swing-waltzes-and-other-punchy-songs-single
47. David Renshaw, "Wolf Parade announce Thin Mind, share new song “Forest Green”". The Fader, November 11, 2019.
48. Jon Freeman, "Donovan Woods Details New Album ‘Without People’". Rolling Stone, August 19, 2020.
49. Jessica Wong, "Neil Peart, drummer and primary lyricist for Rush, dead at 67". CBC News, January 10, 2020.
50. Cam Tait, "Remembering the brilliant talent of George Blondheim". Edmonton Sun, February 5, 2020.
51. Calum Slingerland, "R.I.P. Graeme Williamson of Toronto's Pukka Orchestra". Exclaim!, June 26, 2020.
52. "Singer Salome Bey, known as Canada's first lady of the blues, dies at age 86". CTV News, August 10, 2020.