Canadian Folk Music Awards Unveil 2021 Nominees

Nominated artists include Pharis and Jason Romero, William Prince, the East Pointers, Catherine MacLellan and Basia Bulat

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Dec 1, 2020

The Canadian Folk Music Awards are returning for their 16th edition next year, and the awards have now revealed all the 2021 nominees.

Among the artists up for awards this year are the likes of Pharis and Jason Romero, William Prince, the East Pointers, Catherine MacLellan and Basia Bulat, among many others. Overall there are 100 nominees from across Canada in 19 categories.

The upcoming edition of the Canadian Folk Music Awards will take place online again next year on April 9 to 10 after making the decision to call off the IRL ceremony, originally scheduled to take place Charlottetown, PEI.

According to a press release, "The Awards Weekend online presentations will capture the true heart of the folk community, while celebrating the 2021 nominees and the category recipients. The virtual CFMA Awards show will announce the recipients of the 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Our bilingual hosts will review all the CFMA categories, nominees, and announce recipients, including the Unsung Hero Award Presentation, along with announcing where our 2022 event will take place."

Down below, you will find the 2021 nominees announcement video, as well as the long list of everyone who is up for awards this year.



2021 CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARD NOMINEES:

Children's Album of the Year / Album jeunesse de l'année
  • Broccoli Farm by/par Claire Ness
  • Goodnight To You All by/par Charlie Hope 
  • Small But Mighty by/par Ginalina 
  • The Mountain Man by/par Spencer Burton 
  • Tous musiciens by/par Henri Godon 
Contemporary Album of the Year / Album contemporain de l'année
  • Are You in Love? by/par Basia Bulat 
  • At the Edge of the World by/par Mike McKenna Jr. 
  • Coyote by/par Catherine MacLellan 
  • Drifters by/par Joe Nolan  
  • Reliever by/par William Prince
  • Sugar & Joy by/par The Dead South 
  • The Unconquerable Past by/par Stephen Fearing
  • Yours To Break by/par The East Pointers 
 Contemporary Singer of the Year / Chanteur contemporain de l'année
  • Coco Love Alcorn for/pour Rebirth 
  • Basia Bulat for/pour Are You in Love? 
  • Tim Chaisson for/pour Yours To Break
  • Catherine MacLellan for/pour Coyote 
  • William Prince for/pour Reliever
English Songwriter(s) of the Year / Auteur compositeur(s) anglophone de l'année
 
  • Colo Love Alcorn for/pour Rebirth
  • Basia Bulat for/pour Are You in Love? 
  • William Prince for/pour Reliever 
  • Pharis & Jason Romero for/pour Bet On Love 
  • Sarah Jane Scouten for/pour Confessions 
  • Julian Taylor for/pour The Ridge  
 
 Ensemble of the Year / Groupe de l'année
  • OKAN for/pour Sombras
  • Pharis & Jason Romero for/pour Bet On Love 
  • Sultans of String for/pour Refuge
  • Sussex for/pourThe Ocean Wide
  • The Dead South for/pour Sugar & Joy 
French Songwriter(s) of the Year / Auteur-compositeur(s) francophone de l'année
  • Guillaume Arsenault pour/for La partie de moi qui tremble 
  • Raphaël Delahaye pour/for Le sens de la dérive
  • Marie-Ève Lapierre-Lemoyne pour/for Onze
  • Flavie Léger-Roy pour/for Ce chapeau est trop grand pour moi 
  • Alexandre Poulin pour/for Nature humaine
Indigenous Songwriter(s) of the Year / Auteur compositeur(s) autochtone de l'année
  • Jason & Nadia Burnstick for/pour Kîyânaw 
  • A.W. Cardinal for/pour Bare Knuckles & Brawn 
  • Leela Gilday for/pour North Star Calling 
  • Riit for/pour ataataga 
  • Crystal Shawanda for/pour Church House Blues 
Instrumental Group of the Year / Groupe instrumental de l'année
  • Beòlach for/pour All Hands 
  • Emilyn Stam & John David Williams for/pour Honeywood
  • Gordon Grdina's The Marrow for/pour Safar-E-Daroon
  • Jessica Deutsch & Ozere for/pour Traces 
  • Rhizome for/pour Double capture 
 Instrumental Solo artist of the Year / Instrumentiste solo de l'année
  • Marc Atkinson for/pour Solo 
  • Benjamin Barrile for/pour Esperando el Alba 
  • Gordon Grdina for/pour Prior Street 
  • Nick Hornbuckle for/pour 13 or So
  • Natalie MacMaster for/pour Sketches 
 New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year / Artiste(s) de la relève de l'année
  • Noah Derksen for/pour America, Dreaming
  • Marie-Ève Laure for/pour Onze 
  • Maya Rae for/pour Can You See Me? 
  • Emily Rockarts for/pour Little Flower
  • Rum Ragged for/pour The Thing About Fish
  • Emily Triggs for/pour Middletown 
 Producer(s) of the Year / Réalisateur(s) de l'année
  • Dave Clarke & Bill Garrett for/pour Coming Home (Steel Rail) 
  • Roy Forbes for/pour Edge of Blue (Roy Forbes) 
  • Marc Jenkins for/pour Bet On Love (Pharis & Jason Romero) 
  • Dayna Manning for/pour Morning Light (Dayna Manning) 
  • Chris McKhool & John 'Beetle' Bailey for/pour Refuge (Sultans of String)  
Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award / Prix Innovation musicale Oliver Schroer
  • Aerialists for/pour Dear Sienna 
  • Mélisande [Électrotrad] for/pour Les myriades 
  • Riit for/pour ataataga 
  • The East Pointers for/pour Yours To Break 
  • The Henrys for/pour Paydirt 
Single of the Year / Monoplage de l'année
  • K'eintah Natse Ju by/par Leela Gilday (Producer / Réalisateur: Hill Kourkoutis)
  • Some Kind of Hell by/par Burnstick (Producers / Réalisateurs: Jason & Nadia Burnstick)
  • The Spark by/par William Prince (Producers / Réalisateurs: Scott Nolan, Dave Cobb)
  • Wintergreen by/par The East Pointers (Producer / Réalisateur: Gordie Sampson)
  • Yellowknife by/par Craig Cardiff (Producer / Réalisateur: Craig Cardiff)
Solo Artist of the Year / Artiste solo de l'année
  • Catherine MacLellan for/pour Coyote
  • Lynn Miles for/pour We'll Look For Stars 
  • William Prince for/pour Reliever 
  • Riit for/pour ataataga 
  • Julian Taylor for/pour The Ridge 
Traditional Album of the Year / Album traditionnel de l'année
  • All Hands by/par Beòlach
  • Bet On Love by/par Pharis & Jason Romero
  • Crowing Ignites by/par Bruce Cockburn
  • Debout! by/par Le Diable à Cinq
  • The Lost Tapes by/par Ian & Sylvia 
Traditional Singer of the Year / Chanteur traditionnel de l'année
  • Mike Bravener for/pour Depends Upon The Pay
  • Kevin Harvey for/pour Hand me Down Blues 
  • Mark Manning for/pour The Thing About Fish 
  • Lou Natale for/pour Workin' the Mystery 
  • Pharis Romero for/pour Bet On Love 
Vocal Group of the Year / Groupe vocal de l'année
  • Beauséjour for/pour Beauséjour 
  • Big Little Lions for/pour Inside Voice 
  • Kennedy Road for/pour A Little Fight Left Yet
  • Pharis & Jason Romero for/pour Bet On Love 
  • The Barrel Boys for/pour Mainline 
World Album of the Year / Album de musiques du monde de l'année
  • Africa Without Borders by/par Okavango African Orchestra 
  • Kora flamenca by/par Zal Sissokho 
  • La Serena by/par Aviva Chernick 
  • Patria by/par Mazacote 
  • Sombras by/par OKAN 
Young Performer(s) of the Year / Jeune artiste(s) de l'année
  • Maya Rae for/pour Can You See Me? 
  • Moscow Apartment for/pour Better Daughter 
  • Paige Penney for/pour Watch Out For Your Step
  • Quin With One N for/pour Out of the Blue 
  • The Gilberts for/pourThe Gilberts: One

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