THE WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC ALLIANCE REVEAL WINNERS OF THE 2020 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC ARTISTIC AND INDUSTRY AWARDS
BREAKOUT WEST: HOME EDITION KICKS OFF TODAY
Toronto, ON – September 25, 2020 – Today, the Western Canadian Music Alliance announced the recipients of the 2020 Western Canadian Music Awards, in both the Artistic and Industry categories. A full list of all winners can be found below.
“Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of this year’s WCMAs!” exclaims Duncan McKie, President of FACTOR. “At a time when many things feel uncertain, the importance of celebrating each other’s achievements is more important than ever. We are proud to help fund BOW, the WCMAs, and the many talented artists and professionals from Western Canada.”
The winners were announced during a livestreamed broadcast on BreakOut West’s Facebook, where viewers were treated to performances by Krystle Dos Santos (R&B Artist of the Year) and The Mariachi Ghost (Global Artist of the Year and Visual Media Composer of the Year). Honourees included Winnipeg’s own, Gerry Atwell, who was presented with the 2020 Heritage Award, and William Prince, who took home three awards, including Recording of the Year, which was accompanied by a $2,000 honourarium, courtesy of Stingray Music’s Stingray Rising Star program. 2020 once again saw nominee representation from all four western Canadian provinces and three territories, as well as an outstanding showing from female/female-identifying artists who took home 50% of the awards in the Artistic categories.
A special pre-awards show program aired earlier in the afternoon, ahead of the full winner reveal, on CBC Radio One’s Up To Speed and CBC Listen, where the Blues Artist of the Year, Roots Solo Artist of the Year, Global Artist of the Year, and BreakOut Artist of the Year awards were announced, along with performances from Big Dave McLean (Blues Artist of the Year) and members of The Mariachi Ghost.
Additionally, all of the Western Canadian Music Award winners will be celebrated on radio-waves across Canada, as Yangaroo DMDS will be offering complimentary radio servicing to the national radio format list of each winners’ choice within the next 365 days – further helping to share and celebrate the outstanding music coming from western Canadian artists.
2020 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARDS ARTISTIC WINNERS
Blues Artist of the Year
Big Dave McLean – MB
BreakOut Artist of the Year – Sponsored by CBC Manitoba
Begonia – MB
Children’s Artist of the Year
Ginalina – BC
Classical Artist or Ensemble of the Year – Sponsored By Canadian Music Centre (CMC)
Mark Takeshi McGregor – BC
Classical Composer of the Year – TIED
Carmen Braden – NT
Stephen Chatman – BC
Country Artist of the Year
Jess Moskaluke – SK
Electronic & Dance Artist of the Year
RIELL – AB
Francophone Artist of the Year – Sponsored by APCM (Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique)
Kelly Bado – MB
Global Artist of the Year (formerly World Artist of the Year)
The Mariachi Ghost – MB
Indigenous Artist of the Year – Sponsored By APTN
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – BC
Instrumental Artist of the Year
Apollo Suns – MB
Jazz Artist of the Year
Audrey Ochoa - AB
Metal & Hard Music Artist of the Year
Dizzy Mystics – MB
Pop Artist of the Year
Nuela Charles – AB
Producer of the Year
John Paul Peters – MB
R&B Artist of the Year
Krystle Dos Santos – BC
Rap & Hip Hop Artist of the Year
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – BC
Stingray Rising Star for Recording of the Year
William Prince – MB
Rock Artist of the Year – Sponsored by Torque Brewing
The Jerry Cans – NV
Roots Solo Artist of the Year
William Prince – MB
Songwriter(s) of the Year – Sponsored By The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)
William Prince – MB
Spiritual Artist of the Year
Dee Daniels – BC
Video Director of the Year – Sponsored by Manitoba Film & Music
Farhad Ghaderi – Jordan Klassen, Virtuous Circle – BC
Visual Media Composer of the Year
The Mariachi Ghost – MB
2020 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARDS INDUSTRY WINNERS
Audio Engineering Award
John Paul Peters – MB
Community Excellence Award
National Music Centre – AB
Excellence in Visual Design
Shalom Toy, Cosmic Cavern Design – AB
Impact in Artist Development
National Music Centre – AB
Impact in Live Music – Sponsored by Canadian Live Music Association
Winnipeg Folk Festival – MB
Impact in Music Marketing
The Village Idiots – MB
2020 Heritage Award – Gerry Atwell – MB
About Western Canadian Music Alliance
The Western Canadian Music Alliance is a pan western organization created by the Music Industry Associations (MIA’s) of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, The Northwest Territories, the Yukon Territory, to promote and celebrate western Canadian music. WCMA, with the financial support of each provincial and territorial government partner, FACTOR, the Government of Canada and of Canada's private radio broadcasters, WCMA annually hosts their core artist and industry development event, BreakOut West. The event is held in a different western Canadian city on a rotational basis and is the prime music industry event in western Canada. Due to complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event will be held online, Sept 25 - Oct 9, 2021. Traditionally, BreakOut West is comprised of a four-day music conference, a three-night multi-genre music festival and the Western Canadian Music Awards and Industry Awards programs.
WCMA’s head office is in Winnipeg. We recognize the ancestral lands, from Treaty One Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.
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DOWNLOAD – BreakOut West / Western Canadian Music Awards 2020 Logos