Kellie Loder, the East Pointers, David Myles lead 2023 East Coast Music Award winners

P.E.I. group the East Pointers walked away from this year's East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs) with the highest number of wins, taking home contemporary roots recording, group recording and pop recording of the year.

Scroll down for the complete list with the winners indicated in bold.

This year marked the 35th anniversary of the ECMAs, held in Halifax, and the awards were given out over two days, on May 4 and 7. New Brunswick singer-songwriter David Myles and Newfoundland artist Kellie Loder tied for the second-most wins, with two apiece, while Nova Scotia-based reggae artist Jah'Mila nabbed one for global recording of the year. New Brunswick's Lisa LeBlanc, came away with French recording of the year (for the same album that got her shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize, and Mi'kmaq fiddler Morgan Toney won Indigenous artist of the year for the second year in a row. 

Earlier this year, Halifax promotions manager Jocelyn MacLean called the East Coast Music Association an "all-boys club" in an interview with CBC, pointing out "there are categories where there are no women represented." Those 2023 categories include rap/hip-hop, blues, dance, roots and jazz recordings of the year, as well as producer of the year, among others. 

At the May 4 broadcast, the 15 ECMA winners hit more than gender parity, but after all the musician-focused awards were given out by the end of the weekend, the numbers had dropped: 39 per cent of them went to women or non-binary artists, while 21 per cent went to musicians of colour or acts with at least one racialized member. 

The 2024 ECMAs will be held in Charlottetown.

African Canadian artist of the year

• Aquakultre
• Jah'Mila
• Maggie Andrew
• Owen O'Sound Lee
• Zamani Folade

Album of the year

• Andrew Waite, Andrew Waite (producer: Chris Kirby)
• Classified, Retrospected (producer: Classified)
• David Myles, It's Only a Little Loneliness (producers: David Myles, Joshua Van Tassel)
• Fortunate Ones, That Was You and Me (producer: Joshua Van Tassel)
• Jason Benoit, Time Traveller: Side A (producers: Jason Benoit, Clint Curtis)
• Kristen Martell, Every Season (producers: Gabrielle Papillon, Dan Ledwell)

Fans' choice entertainer of the year

• Classified
• David Myles
• Jason Benoit
• Kellie Loder
• Lisa LeBlanc
• Madison Violet
• Neon Dreams
• Rich Aucoin
• Robert Thomas and the Sessionmen
• The East Pointers

Fans' choice video of the year

• Andrew Waite
• Braden Lam
• Classified
• Dave Sampson
• Les Hotesses D'Hilaire
• Moira & Claire
• Neon Dreams
• Nicole Ariana
• Pineo & Loeb x Sparkee
• The East Pointers

Directors' Special Achievement Award

• Natalie MacMaster

Blues recording of the year

• Allen Snow, The Quorum
• Charlie A'Court & Witchitaw, When Country Gets the Blues
• Mark Riley, PM Blue
• Mike Trask, TV Dinner
• Rev. Dave and the Sin Eaters, Beams of Love

Children's entertainer of the year

• Bingly and the Rogues (with The Villains Theatre)
• Heather Feather
• Matt the Music Man
• Pete

Choral recording of the year

• Dr. Zoo Featuring South African Singers Choir, We May Win
• Halifax Camerata Singers, The Last Evening
• Luminos Ensemble, I Am an Island That Dreams
• Men of the Deeps, Remember the Miner
• Sirens, In Her Image

Classical composer of the year

• Andrew Staniland
• Derek Charke
• Edward Enman
• Grej
• Natalie Williams Calhoun

Classical recording of the year

• Andrew Staniland, Reddened by Hammer: Earthquakes & Islands Remixed
• Atlantic String Machine, A Single Juniper Post
• Duo Concertante, Ecology of Being
• Jennifer King, O Mistress Moon (Canadian Edition)
• SHHH!! Ensemble, Meanwhile

Contemporary roots recording of the year

• Carleton Stone, Papercut
• David Myles, It's Only a Little Loneliness
• Madison Violet, eleven
• Rawlins Cross, Sunrise
• The East Pointers, House of Dreams

Country recording of the year

• La Patente, L'Illusion d'la perfection
• Mallory Johnson, Surprise Party
• Pretty Archie, Pretty Archie
• Rev. Dave and the Sin Eaters, Beams of Love
• Willie Stratton, Drugstore Dreamin'

Dance recording of the year

• Alex Byrne, "Nothing but a Liar"
• Bishu, "WYGD"
• Cloverdale & DJ Susan, "Talkin'"
• Corey LeRue, "IDTYK"
• Pineo & Loeb x Joel Freck, "Hope" feat. Karl Wolf

Electronic recording of the year

• It Could Be Franky, "Edena"
• Maura Whitman, Introspection
• Mear, Soft Chains
• Rich Aucoin, Synthetic Season 1
• Sparkee, Snack Pack

Folk recording of the year

• Dylan Menzie, Modern Classic
• Fortunate Ones, That Was You and Me
• Julie Aubé, Contentement
• Kristen Martell, Every Season
• Madison Violet, eleven

Enregistrement francophone de l'année

• Caroline Savoie, Bruits blancs
• Laurie LeBlanc, Long Weekend
• Les Hôtesses d'Hilaire, Pas l'temps d'niaiser
• Lisa LeBlanc, Chiac Disco
• Plywood Joe, Et les mangeux de baloni
• P'tit Belliveau, Un homme et son piano

Global music recording of the year

• Andru Branch & Halfway Tree, Weather the Storm
• Jah'Mila, Roots Girl
• Jing Xia, The Numinous Journey
• Kubasonics, Kubasongs
• Vineet Vyas, Satyam

Group recording of the year

• Fortunate Ones, That Was You and Me
• Moira & Claire, I'm not usually this forward but…
• Pretty Archie, Pretty Archie
• The East Pointers, House of Dreams
• The Trews, Wanderer

Indigenous artist of the year

• Deantha Edmunds
• Gearl
• Jason Benoit
• Morgan Toney
• Silver Wolf Band

Inspirational/gospel recording of the year

• Dr. Zoo, 20
• Elijah MacDougall, The Boy Who Would Be
• Keith Mullins, Vets for Healings Song Camp 1
• One8tea, Say Amen
• Yvette Lorraine, Same Story

Instrumental recording of the year

• Atlantic String Machine, A Single Juniper Post
• Florian Hoefner, Desert Bloom
• Quilting, Quilting 
• Sarah Hagen, Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations
• Shannon Quinn & Tony Quinn, 20 Summers

Jazz recording of the year

• Behrooz Mihankhah, Lydium
• Big Space, In Relation To
• Duane Andrews and the Hot Club of Conception Bay, Djangology
• Florian Hoefner, Desert Bloom
• Joyfultalk, Familiar Science

Loud recording of the year

• Dali Van Gogh, New Blood, Old Wounds
• Electric Spoonful, 2 Poor 4 a Two Four
• Red Usurper, Abandon
• Swimming, That's OK
• Truce., Unentitled

Pop recording of the year

• Caroline Savoie, Bruits blancs
• Lisa LeBlanc, Chiac Disco
• Maura Whitman, Introspection
• The East Pointers, House of Dreams
• Yvette Lorraine, Same Story

R&B/soul recording of the year

• Aquakultre, Don't Trip
• Boy T, Ride Your Name
• Dee Hernandez, Remember Those Days
• JRDN, Red Eye
• Nicole Ariana, Crybaby

Rap/hip-hop recording of the year

• Albert Dalton, If I Can't Have It
• City Natives, The People of the Dawn
• Classified, Retrospected
• Owen O'Sound Lee, 235
• Reggie Morales, Regicide

Rising star recording of the year

• Daniel James McFadyen, "Hot Sun"
• Dylan Menzie, "A Piece of Me"
• Isabella Samson, "Love Takes You Home"
• Marian, "Astral Plane"
• Moira & Claire, "South Shore"

Rock recording of the year

• Dali Van Gogh, New Blood, Old Wound
• Julie & Dany, Julie & Dany 
• Les Hôtesses d'Hilaire, Pas l'temps d'niaiser
• Motherhood, Winded
• Nick Earle, No More Hiding
• The Trews, Wanderer

Roots/traditional recording of the year

• Gina Burgess, ISNOW
• Jing Xia, The Numinous Journey
• Kubasonics, Kubasongs
• Les Fireflies, Day by Day
• Shane Pendergast, The House Before the Bridge

Solo recording of the year

• Adam Baldwin, Concertos & Serenades
• David Myles, It's Only a Little Loneliness
• Jason Benoit, Time Traveller: Side A
• Lisa LeBlanc, Chiac Disco
• Owen O'Sound Lee, 235

Song of the year

• Adam Baldwin, "Lighthouse in Little Lorraine"
• Braden Lam, "Silence" feat. Wolf Castle
• Brandon Howard Roy, "Give Me Love"
• Daniel James McFadyen, "Hot Sun"
• Lisa LeBlanc, "Pourquoi faire aujourd'hui"

Songwriter of the year

• Andrew Waite
• Kellie Loder
• Madison Violet
• Quote the Raven
• The East Pointers

Artist innovator of the year

• Carolina East
• Classified
• Dr. Zoo
• Hillary Ladd
• Jason Benoit

Live sound engineer of the year

• Evan Cormier
• John Ellingbo
• Kyle Gallagher
• Michelle Lacour
• Peter Green
• Steve Everett

Producer of the year

• Chris Kirby
• Classified
• Clint Curtis
• Corey LeRue
• Mark Howard

Studio engineer of the year

• Scott Ferguson
• John D. S. Adams
• Future Dad
• Mike "Sheppy" Shepherd
• Chris Iannetti
• Thomas Stajcer

Video director of the year

• Cecil Johnson
• Harmz
• Jamie Miller
• Jeff Miller
• Matthew Ingraham

Visual artist of the year

• Alex MacAskill, Midnight Oil Print & Design House
• Ashley Anne Clark
• Heidi-Lyn O'Connor
• Jud Haynes
• Krista Power