Manitobans come up big at Western Canadian Music Awards

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This article was published 13/10/2023 (759 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FIVE Manitoban artists took home hardware from the Western Canadian Music Awards, more than any other province with the exception of British Columbia.

The winners were announced in Kelowna Wednesday at the opening reception for the BreakOut West music conference.

On the strength of her latest EP, Surface, Sala, the soulful alt-pop project of Ariane Jean, won for Francophone artist of the year, besting three other Manitoban artists, including former Chic Gamine bandmate Andrina Turenne, 2016 winner Jocelyne Baribeau, and the high-flying, bilingual soul act Jérémie & the Delicious Hounds.

The Hounds weren’t barking-mad, though, after winning R&B artist of the year.

William Prince, the decorated folk singer from Peguis First Nation, was crowned roots artist of the year for the third time in his career; Bros. Landreth were also nominated.

After earning a spot on the shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize for her latest album, Powder Blue, Begonia received yet another accolade, winning pop artist of the year for the third time, too. Prince (When You Miss Someone) and Begonia (Butterfly, with Matt Peters) were also up for songwriter of the year.

The ever-reliable metal act KEN Mode won its second WCMA, taking home metal and hard music artist of the year.

In total, Manitoba artists were nominated for 28 awards.

Leith Ross, the ascendant indie songwriter who relocated to Winnipeg during the pandemic, was nominated for both artist of the year and songwriter of the year, with Saskatchewan’s Katie Tupper and B.C.’s Snotty Nose Rez Kids getting top marks in those categories.

Another recent Winnipeg transplant, Luke Doucet, and Melissa McLelland of Whitehorse were in contention for both country artist and recording of the year, with B.C.’s JoJo Mason and the Snotty Nose Rez Kids beating them out.

Rapper Dill the Giant, a member of the local hip-hop stalwarts 3peat, was up for rap and hip-hop artist of the year, but like Ross and Whitehorse, came up short next to the Rez Kids, who won in three of four categories they were nominated in.

Juno-winning guitarist and vocalist Jocelyn Gould and the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra were each nominated for jazz artist of the year, with B.C.’s Melody Diachun winning. Violinist Karl Stobbe and pianist Megumi Masaki vied for classical artist of the year, but B.C. again stood in the way, with the choir musica intima winning that prize.

Anishinaabe DJ Boogey the Beat, fresh off his debut full-length Cousins, was one of five nominees for electronic and dance artist of the year; the winner was B.C.’s Modern Biology.

Would you believe the Winnipeg-based, Argentinian guitarist Onna Lou and the Latin rockers El Leon & the Strangers — nominated for global artist of the year — lost to Ruby Singh of B.C.?

Manitobans Ryan Steel (Begonia’s video for Married by Elvis) and Michael Linton (Mariel Buckley’s Neon Blue) were nominated for video director of the year.

But that honour ended up with Mayumi Yoshida for her work on the Amanda Sum song Different Than Before.

Yoshida is also from B.C. — staff