Category: 2021 nominee

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2021 nominee

Jerry Sereda

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Jerry Sereda

Don’t Mind If I Do

Jerry’s style of singing, and performing has been compared to country rockers “Garth Brooks, and Tim McGraw” (Grassroots News), as he continues to “expand his fan base with his upbeat rhythms and commanding stage presence” (Winnipeg Sun). Growing up in Manitoba, Jerry embraced his Indigenous roots and learned how to hunt, fish, trap and live off the land. Jerry also learned the importance of hard work, dedication and family. Under the guidance of his grandmother, he picked up the guitar and learned to play. Jerry’s first single “Time”, was recorded, and released through the support of Manitoba’s Indigenous music programs, which gave Jerry a solid start to his musical journey. Jerry has three studio albums, several nominations at the WCMAs, IMAs (where he won Best New Artist), and several charting singles (including several #1’s on the Indigenous Music Charts). After the success of his second album, Jerry went back to continue his other passion of teaching and counselling, finishing off his Master’s Degree in Education, and completing coursework in special education, guidance counseling, and school administration. He continued to write songs and connected with Indigenous producer/songwriter Troy Kokol in 2018, Deciding to leave his teaching gig, Jerry released his third project “Don’t Mind If I Do” in September 2019. This project saw two singles, “Don’t mind if I do”, and “Undamnwindit” perform well across Canada with adds to many prominent radio stations including SiriusXM. “Undamnwindit” also went on to climb the Nationwide Indigenous music charts and spent 3 weeks at #2 before finally reaching #1 after 20 weeks on the countdown. Jerry has now completed his first single, and music video “Trailer’s Rockin” for his 4th Studio Album.

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2021 nominee

Esther Pennell

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Esther Pennell

Big Dream

Esther Pennell is a self-taught banjo player and innovator of banjo music. She is determined to make a name for herself in folk and blues music. Esther takes every song she plays and makes it her own without turning to traditional banjo styling. She takes your traditional idea of the banjo player, and throws them out the window. Esther Pennell is a founding member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland and Labrador, and wants to use music to honour her native background. Esther got her feet wet in the music arena in 2013 at the Temagami Girls Night Out concert as a member of the Ladies Outfit band, a bluegrass/country ladies band. Since that first performance, she has been on a path of musical self-discovery. Esther has played on Canada Day at the Temagami waterfront, at the Temagami Community Market and at the New Liskeard Fall Fair in 2014 alongside David Laronde, an Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music nominee. Esther has also performed with her fiancé and guitar man Pete Fex at various other small local venues. Esther continues to play at Girls Night Out annually as a member of The Ladies Outfit and looks forward to expanding her repertoire of music and polishing her skills while sticking to her bluesy folk roots.

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2021 nominee

Desiree Dorion

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Desiree Dorion

Break The Chain

Desiree Dorion grew up a mile and a half from the grounds of Dauphin Country Fest, one of the biggest outdoor music festivals in Canada. As a little girl she would ride her bike there when the festival wasn’t on, climb up on the stage, and pretend to play to the thousands of fans that come to watch big country music acts. In 2014 her dream of playing the mainstage came true when she shared the stage with The Band Perry. Desiree released her fifth studio album on February 7th, 2020 with “Break the Chain”. Exploring the themes of poverty, resilience, breaking the cycle of violence, family ties, and Jack Daniels, Desiree’s music and lyrics are a reflection of the world around her. You can hear the emotional weight of these themes in her vocals. A departure from her previous albums, she has incorporated a hint of pop into her country music style with “Break the Chain”. One of the most celebrated artists in country music in Manitoba, the Juno nominee has had five songs chart in the top 100 on the Canadian country music charts, along with several on the Indigenous Music Countdown. Her songwriting partner on “Break the Chain” is producer/songwriter Chris Burke-Gaffney. They have enjoyed a successful collaboration previously with the hit “Whiskey Knows”. In 2017, Desiree took home the award for Songwriter of the Year at the Manitoba Country Music Awards for co-writing “Whiskey Knows” with Chris Burke-Gaffney. “Whiskey Knows” was also a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Desiree has toured from coast to coast in Canada as well as performed in Las Vegas and Nashville.

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2021 nominee

Troy Kokol

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

Artistic Video

Troy Kokol

Like A Record
Troy Kokol

Troy Kokol is an award-winning Canadian singer, producer, animator, video director, and songwriter with over 200 cuts to his name in a variety of music genres, TV, and film. Troy is a recipient of the SOCAN Award for Country Music and a 2-time CCMA Songwriter of the Year nominee.

As a songwriter, Kokol has had cuts with many artists, including Australia’s Hayley Jensen (w/ the #2 radio hit “Breakin Hearts”), Warner Music’s Brett Kissel, Jerry Sereda, Tenille Townes, Leaving Thomas, Don Amero, Chris Henderson, and Shane Yellowbird, whose single, “Pick Up Truck” (written w/ Joni Delaurier) was listed #6 all-time on Canadian country radio by Billboard.

As an artist, Troy wrote, recorded, mixed, mastered, and animated the music video for his 2020 single, “Like A Record”; an official selection at the 2020 GIRAF International Animation Festival, and nominated for Songwrite and Video of the Year at the 2021 Country Music Alberta Awards…a follow up to his multiple award-winning album, “Lonely Ghost”.

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2021 nominee

The Northstars

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

Artistic Video

The Northstars

Monsters

Melodic storytellers The NorthStars are an energetic yet laid back hip hop duo from Nemaska, Quebec. Heavy hitters in the Northern Cree Music scene, members Elton J. Salt and Gary Jolly deliver an authentic experience, fusing gritty dark beats with bright acoustic pop notes. Beasts on the mic, rap singer songwriters Salt and Jolly aim to make change and inspire a generation through an authentic approach and performance.

The NorthStars were first catapulted into the Canadian music scene in 2012 when their song “Our River”, off of their debut mixtape, gained significant traction leading to considerable media coverage including attention from CBC North, James Bay Cree Communications Radio and Champ FM Radio. This led to multiple tours of the Cree Nation touring circuit, and steady exportation into the national music market. In 2014, The NorthStars connected and collaborated with N’we Jinan; a travelling music studio program, to create songs and videos for N’we Jinan’s Volume 1, a music project that featured over 70 Cree Nation youth. The album peaked at #1 on the iTunes charts in the hip-hop category.

The NorthStars’ debut 2015 released album, “Dreams” climbed to the #9 spot in the Canadian Hip-Hop Category and has received over 10,000 thousand streams on their SoundCloud page. “Nightmares”, an 11-song album, introduces a refined and mature evolution of The NorthStars that is raw and emotionally charged. A follow up to the journey of “Dreams”, “Nightmares” is a contrasting view of the struggles and daily challenges they and their community face. This album journeys from ballads of home and sacrifice to energizing dance hits. Seeking to uplift and spark change with this record, The NorthStars eloquently invite their audience to remove the proverbial blindfolds and see things for what they are.

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2021 nominee Uncategorized

Silla And Rise

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

Artistic Video

Silla And Rise

Mother Roots
Rise Ashen

Silla and Rise were nominated for a Juno for Indigenous Music Album of the Year in 2017 for their self-titled Debut: Silla + Rise, as well as an Indigenous Music Award for Best Inuit, Indigenous Language, or Francophone Album. They also won the Stingray Award at Mundial Festival in Montreal in 2018. Their new album Galactic Gala has just been nominated for a Juno for World Music Album of the Year.

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2021 nominee

Nadjiwan

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

Artistic Video

Nadjiwan

Easier
Meriläinen Müsic Inc.,
Laura Meriläinen & Marc Meriläinen

Born in northern Manitoba and raised in the untamed beauty of Northwestern Ontario, Marc Merilainen knew from an early age he would perform music. Marc is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation as well as having Finnish heritage.

After graduating from the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College in London, Marc returned to Thunder Bay where he began collaborating with other First Nations musicians. The first Nadjiwan album titled “Brother”, released in 1995, went on to achieve much success in both Canada and the United States.

Since 1995 Marc has released 6 full-length records, 4 EPs and numerous singles. Many of these releases reached the #1 spot on the National Indigenous Top 40 Countdown as well as various campus radio charts. Marc’s music has received several award nominations including Best Male Artist (Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards), Best Rock Album (Native American Music Awards), and Best Rock Album (Indigenous Music Awards). Marc/Nadjiwan has performed at numerous music festivals including: The Mariposa Folk Festival, Folk On The Rocks, The Hillside Music Festival, Northern Lights Festival Boreal and Live from the Rock. In 2010, Marc was asked to represent the music of Ontario at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. In 2015, Nadjiwan performed a special concert during the Pan Am Games as well as a main-stage headlining performance for the North American Indigenous Games in 2017.

In addition to releasing original music Marc has composed scores for theatre and television. His work on the production Agokwe earned him a Dora Award Nomination in 2009 for Best Original Composition. Last year Marc released two EPs: In February he recorded “The Dog Lake Sessions” in a cabin in Northwestern Ontario which earned him critical acclaim, and a 9 out of 10 album review in Exclaim! magazine. In August “Anomalous” was released which was recorded entirely in isolation during the first COVID lockdowns in 2020. Marc rounded out the year with a cover of the late Kelly Fraser’s “Rebound Girl” as a tribute to the Nunavut-born artist and Inuit rights activist, with whom he had a close relationship. Nadjiwan’s next full-length release is a space rock opera called “Star Nation” that will be out in May, 2021.

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2021 nominee

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

2021 AWARD NOMINEE

Artistic Video

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Solidification
Sammy Chien and the Chimerik Collective

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg musician, writer and academic, who has been widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation. Her work breaks open the boundaries between story and song—bringing audiences into a rich and layered world of sound, light, and sovereign creativity. Leanne has performed in venues and festivals across Canada with her sister singer songwriter Ansley Simpson and guitarist Nick Ferrio. Leanne’s second album, f(l)light, was released in 2016 and is a haunting collection of story-songs that effortlessly interweave Simpson’s complex poetics and multi-layered stories of the land, spirit, and body with lush acoustic and electronic arrangements. Her EP Noopiming Sessions combines readings from her novel Noopiming with soundscapes composed and performed by Ansley Simpson and James Bunton, in addition to a gorgeous video by Sammy Chien and the Chimerik Collective. It was produced during the on-going social isolation of COVID-19 and was released on Gizhiiwe Music in the Fall of 2020. Leanne’s newest record, Theory Of Ice was released by You’ve Changed Records in the winter of 2021, and features the artistic brilliance of Ansley Simpson, Nick Ferrio, Jim Bryson, John K. Samson, Jonas Bonnetta and Sandra Brewster. She is also a multi-award winning author of seven books with a new project due to be released in 2022 by Knopf Canada.

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