NASHVILLE—Wiikwemkoong superstar singer Crystal Shawanda has again been nominated for a Juno Award. And while she is a two-time winner of Juno awards and has been nominated several times in the past, being nominated again this year has not become old hat for her. “I am always thankful, grateful and surprised when I am nominated for an award,” said Ms. Shawanda, last Thursday.
“My life doesn’t revolve around being nominated for, or winning awards,” said Ms. Shawanda. “But it is wonderful to receive recognition from my peers, support and encouragement.”
The list of nominees for the 52nd Juno Awards, which will take place March 13 in Edmonton, was released last week. Ms. Shawanda is a nominee for Blues Album of the Year for ‘Midnight Blues.’
When The Expositor reached Ms. Shawanda at her home in Nashville Tennessee last Thursday she said, “We just got home from Florida. I was playing several shows in Florida and then when I heard that I had been nominated for the Juno Award we decided to stay for another couple of days.”
‘Midnight Blues’ was released in September,” noted Ms. Shawanda who said, “I am always looking ahead, writing songs and working on a new album.”
Ms. Shawanda has won two Juno Awards, for the Indigenous album of the year in 2013 for ‘Just Like You,’ and in the Blues category in 2020 for her album ‘Church House Blues.’
“We will be touring along in a bunch of places in America over the next couple of months—Georgia, Florida, Arkansas—and others. We will be all over the place. Then in the spring I will be in Canada for tour dates and in Edmonton for the Juno Awards in March.”
“I will definitely be performing at a show in Wiikwemkoong this summer,” said Ms. Shawanda. “In fact, at this point I will definitely be performing at a couple of shows on Manitoulin Island in the summer.”
“I had so many great memories of growing up and living on the Manitoulin and doing shows all over the Island—Gore Bay, Mindemoya, Providence Bay, Mindemoya, Little Current—when I was living there. I have had a lot of support from the Island and it was that encouragement and support I received when I was starting out that spurred me on to continue my career.”
Although awards are nice, Ms. Shawanda told The Expositor it is, “the longevity of my career that I am really proud of.”
Ms. Shawanda is one of five nominees for the Blues Album of the Year. Other nominees include Angelique Francis for her album ‘Long River,’ Harrison Kennedy for ‘Thanks for Tomorrow,’ Spencer Mackenzie for ‘Preach to My Soul,” and the Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer for ‘Live at the King Eddy.’
