Three Yukon musical ensembles have been nominated for the 2021 Western Canadian Music Awards.
The awards, hosted by the Western Canadian Music Alliance, recognize musicians from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
The Yukon’s Claire Ness and Remy Rodden were each nominated for Children’s Artist of the Year.
Ness’ children’s album, Broccoli Farm by Claire Ness and the Swing Sets, was released in 2020 and won Children’s Album of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Rodden, whose ‘envirosongs’ educate about the natural world, also recently released his latest children’s album Think About the Wild.
Major Funk was also nominated for R&B Artist of the Year. Last March, the band released its debut studio album, Is That You? The sextet consists of Selina Heyligers-Hare on vocals and keys; Etienne Girard on bass; Adrian Burrill on vocals and trumpet; Brent Gallant on guitar; Toby Moisey on saxophone and flute; and Anders Grasholm on drums.
The only other musical group to be nominated from the North was PIQSIQ, a duo of Inuit-style throat singers from the Northwest Territories.
The winners will be announced at a livestreamed ceremony in October.