Musicians from Vancouver Island are leading the way with JUNO award nominations this year.

Seven bands from the Island have received at least one JUNO nod, including rising star Cameron Whitcomb – of Nanaimo – with five nominations. That total makes him tied with The Weeknd for the second highest number of nominations this year, behind Justin Bieber and Tate McRae who have six nods each.

It’s stiff competition for the first year that the singer-songwriter has been nominated for any JUNOs at all. He’s in the running in the following six categories: TD JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year Presented, Album of the Year, Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year, and Country Album of the Year.

“His rapid rise marks a defining moment in a fast-accelerating career,” said the JUNO awards on Tuesday, noting that Whitcomb is fresh off of two wins at the Canadian Country Music Awards.

Meanwhile, a host of other Vancouver Island artists and collaborators are in the running for different categories this year.

Victoria’s Nelly Furtado was nominated for Pop Album of the Year for her seventh album, ‘7’, and will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the JUNOs ceremony on March 29. 

Furtado has now been nominated for 22 JUNO awards, and is a winner of 10 of them.

Nominations span genres

The categories that Vancouver Island artists are nominated for are as diverse as the people who make up the region.

The Greater Victoria-based The Southern Residents have been nominated for the Traditional Roots Album of the Year, while Colwood artist AP Dhillon is in the running for South Asian Music Recording of the Year.

Alex Cuba – though now based in Smithers, B.C. – was one half of the Victoria band The Puentes Brothers and is nominated in the new category Latin Music Recording of the Year.

“This year also marks a milestone in JUNOS history with the introduction of Latin Music Recording of the Year, recognizing the growing influence and creative excellence of Latin music in Canada,” said the organization on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Victoria band Spiritbox and local photographer Kyle Joinson are nominated for Album Artwork of the Year, while Victoria filmmaker Shiraz is nominated for Music Video of the Year for the song ‘OK!’ by the Toronto-based Haviah Mighty.

While not strictly from the Island, the Vancouver-based Peach Pit, which has a member from Victoria – and the Quadra Island band Mother Mother, are both in the running for Group of the Year.

The 55th annual JUNO awards are scheduled for March 29. The full list of nominees can be found online.

READ MORE: