With Canadian Music Week around the proverbial corner (hopefully well behind Spring because seriously, enough of Winter already!), it’s that time of year where the nominees for the SiriusXM Indie Awards are revealed. This year’s nods feature several artists and releases that have caught OTM’s ears in the past year and make for an eclectic blend of the mainstream indie and the bands you may not know yet, but ought to.
Check out the list of nominees for key awards below, annotated with handy links to spin/watch artists to the best of our abilities! Need more reasons to consider attending this year’s awards? Perhaps our gallery of images from last year’s ceremony will pique your interest.
For full list of nominees and how to vote and attend, visit the official Indies website.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire – Reflektor (Merge Records)
Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow (Secret City Records)
City and Colour – The Hurry and the Harm (Dine Alone Records)
Shad – Flying Colours (Black Box Recordings)
The Weeknd – Kiss Land (XO)
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
City and Colour – The Lonely Life (Dine Alone Records)
Classified – Inner Ninja ft. David Myles (Black Box Recordings)
Head of the Herd – By This Time Tomorrow (Independent)
July Talk – Guns & Ammunition (July Talk / Sleepless Records)
Mounties – Headphones (Light Organ Records)
GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
Born Ruffians (Paper Bag Records)
Half Moon Run (Indica Records)
Hollerado (Royal Mountain Records)
Monster Truck (Dine Alone Records)
Mother Mother (Last Gang Records)
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Basia Bulat (Secret City Records)
City and Colour (Dine Alone Records)
Classified (Black Box Recordings)
Shad (Black Box Recordings)
The Weeknd (XO)
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Basia Bulat (Secret City Records)
Hannah Georgas (Dine Alone Records)
Jessy Lanza (Geej Recordings / Hyperdub)
Maylee Todd (Do Right! Music)
Mia Martina (CP Music Group)
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Brendan Canning (Draper Street / SQE)
Daniel Romano (Normaltown Records)
Hayden (Arts And Crafts)
Sebastien Grainger (Last Gang Records)
Tim Hecker (Paper Bag Records)
LIVE ARTIST/GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
City and Colour (Dine Alone Records)
Half Moon Run (Indica Records)
Hollerado (Royal Mountain Records)
USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) (Coalition Music)
Wildlife (Wax Records)
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Basia Bulat (Secret City Records)
Belly (CP Music Group)
Hayden (Arts And Crafts)
Jenson Vaughan (Ultra Music)
Mother Mother (Last Gang Records)
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire – Reflektor (Merge Records)
City and Colour – Thirst (Dine Alone Records)
Hollerado – So It Goes (Royal Mountain Records)
Said The Whale – I Love You (Hidden Pony Records)
Shad – Remember to Remember ft. Lights (Black Box Recordings)
MUST FOLLOW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Born Ruffians (Paper Bag Records)
City and Colour (Dine Alone Records)
Massari (CP Music Group)
Mia Martina (CP Music Group)
The Weeknd (XO)
COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Classified – Inner Ninja ft. David Myles (Black Box Recordings)
JRDN – Can’t Choose ft. Kardinal Offishall (Kuya Productions / Fontana North)
SonReal & Rich Kidd – The Closers (Black Box Recordings)
The Weeknd – Live For ft. Drake (XO)
Tim Chaisson – Beat This Heart ft. Serena Ryder (Bumstead Productions)
MOST PLAYED INDEPENDENT ARTIST/GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
City and Colour (Dine Alone Records)
Classified (Black Box Recordings)
Head of the Herd (Head of the Herd)
J.V. Project (Ultra Music)
Monster Truck (Dine Alone Records)
BEST-SELLING INDEPENDENT RELEASE OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire – Reflektor (Merge Records)
City and Colour – The Hurry and the Harm (Dine Alone Records)
Classified – Inner Ninja ft. David Myles (Black Box Recordings)
deadmau5 – > album title goes here < (Ultra Music)
Monster Truck – Furiosity (Dine Alone Records)
Open 'Til Midnight 