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Earlier tonight, 15 artists had the honour of hearing their names announced as winners of an Indigenous Music Award and walking across the stage to receive their award – a hand drum painted by Graffiti Gallery artists. Now, they can call themselves Indigenous Music Award winners.
In between winner announcements, Crystal Shawanda, Northern Cree, Fred Penner, Mariame, Felipe Gomez, Christa Couture, and Chante Assiniboine and the Spirit Horse Singers moved the crowd with powerful performances.
Logan Staats took home Best Folk Album for his record, Goodbye Goldia, and his producer, Derek Miller, also took home an award for his work on the album.
Special guests include Dave Courchene, who kicked off the evening with an opening prayer. Member of Parliament for Charleswood, Doug Eyolfson, and Executive Director of the Waiata Maori Music Awards, Ellisor Huata, also joined us and presented awards this evening.
The award show, formerly the Aboriginal People Choice Awards, took a year off and re-branded itself as the Indigenous Music Awards. The awards now work on an industry voting system to further legitimize the selection process and give nominees the chance to get their music in front of industry professionals who might not have heard it otherwise.
This year, the Indigenous Music Awards welcomed new partnerships with SiriusXM Canada, Exclaim!, and Winnipeg Folk Festival. They joined long-time supporters Casinos of Winnipeg, APTN, and CBC Manitoba.
Best Blues Album
Cary Morin
Cradle to the Grave
Best Country Album
presented by Casinos of Winnipeg
Jade Turner
North Country
Best Folk Album
presented by Winnipeg Folk Festival
Logan Staats
Goodbye Goldia
Best Indigenous Language, or Francophone
Album presented by APTN
Rhonda Head
Kisakihitan
Best Instrumental Album
DJ Shub
PowWowStep
Best Pop Album
presented by CBC Manitoba
Mariame
Bloom
Best Rap Hip Hop
Joey Stylez
#GREYMAGIC
Lifetime Achievement Award
Northern Cree
Best Rock Album
Kristi Lane Sinclair
Dark Matter
Best New Artist
presented by SiriusXM
Carsen Gray
CARSEN GRAY
Best Radio Single
presented by Indigenous Music Countdown
Black & Grey
Pretty Little Nightmare
Best Music Video
presented by Exclaim!
District Avenue
Revival
Best Producer/Engineer
Derek Miller
Thru The Red Door – Logan Staats/Goodbye Goldia
Best International Indigenous Release
The Imbayakunas
Imbaya Full Flavour
Best Radio Station
Unreserved: Radio Indigenous
CBC Radio One
Awards for Best Peyote Album, Best Pow Wow Contemporary Album, Best Pow Wow Contemporary Album, and Best Pow Wow Traditional Album will be presented at the International Pow Wow presented by Casinos of Winnipeg after the evening Grand Entry, which starts at 7:00pm.