Manitoba Artists Earn Nods from Indigenous Music Awards in the U.S.
Three Indigenous recording acts from Manitoba have landed nominations for the Native American Music Awards (NAMA) and Indian Summer Music Awards (ISMA).
The nominations for 17th annual NAMA gala, which takes place October 14 in New York State, includes two local artists. Country singer/songwriter Billy Simard is a double nominee for his album Being Free, which earned him nominations for New Artist or Debut Artist of the Year and Best Country Recording. Also a double nominee this year, classical singer Rhonda Head added another to her growing list of accolades with a nod for Best Female Artist and Best Gospel/Inspirational Recording for Kisahkihitan.
Nominations for the ISMA were also recently announced, including three nods for Indian City for songs off its Here & Now album. “Tree of Life” picked up a nod in the country category, "Seasons" in the pop category, and the album's title track is nominated in the rock category. The hardware will be handed out on September 9 in Milwaukee, WI. ISMA is run in conjunction with Indian Summer Festival and recognizes and promotes the very best in Native American music created by both established and emerging artists.