Jess Moskaluke, Brett Kissel in a CCMA tie
TORONTO — Two of Canada’s country favourites, Jess Moskaluke and Brett Kissel, are neck and neck with six nominations each at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards, which will take place in Hamilton on Sept. 9. And in some categories the two will be vying for the same trophy alongside other popular artists from across the country.
It’s a significant achievement for both acts who have become among the most prominent rising stars of the Canadian music industry. Kissel, 28, was last year’s big winner at the CCMAs, picking up four awards that included male artist and video of the year.
Moskaluke’s career has been on a steady rise, helped by a number of CCMA accolades and a Juno Award win for country album.
The 28-year-old singer, born in Langenburg, Sask., got her break in 2011 after being picked as the “Next Big Thing” at a contest sponsored by a Regina radio station. Several months later she was part of a new artist showcase put on by the CCMAs.
The attention helped draw more ears to her debut single “Catch Me If You Can,” and garner significant accolades in the years that followed. She’s won the CCMA award for best female artist three times over the past four years — losing to newcomer Meghan Patrick last year.
Her album “Kiss Me Quiet” won the 2017 Juno Award for country album, which boosted her status on Canadian country radio. The awareness helped her single “Drive Me Away” crack the top three of the Billboard Canadian country music airplay chart — making her the first woman to do so since 2008, when Terri Clark climbed to No. 1 with “In My Next Life.’’
“Drive Me Away” is now contending for single of the year at the CCMAs alongside fellow nominees that include Patrick’s “Country Music Made Me Do It,” James Barker Band’s “Chills,” Aaron Goodvin’s “Lonely Drum” and Dallas Smith’s “Side Effects.”
Both Moskaluke’s “Past the Past” and Kissel’s “We Were That Song” are in the running for album of the year alongside Patrick’s “Country Music Made Me Do It,” Lindsay Ell’s “The Project” and The Washboard Union’s “What We’re Made Of.”
Kissel insists he shares a similar affinity for rural Canadian life, having grown up in Flat Lake, Alta.
“We’re both very proud, smalltown people,” he said.
“It’s a very special feeling because we came from humble beginnings ... so there’s a lot of small-town pride that I know Jess feels and I echo that. I certainly feel it too.”
In the best male artist category, the nominees are Kissel, Smith, Gord Bamford, Chad Brownlee and Bobby Wills.
Best female artist nominees are Moskaluke, Patrick, Ell, Madeline Merlo and Shania Twain.
The CCMAs also doubled the number of contenders for its fan choice award to 10, opening the doors to an array of artists competing for the prize ranging from global star Shania Twain, who is hosting the CCMAs this year, to newer acts like sibling duo High Valley and Tim Hicks.
Twain and Moskaluke are the first women to be considered for fan choice award in six years, which is when female-led band Hey Romeo was in the running, and the first solo females since 2011 when Terri Clark was up for the award.
The CCMA Awards will be broadcast on the CBC.