Saskatchewan's music industry dazzles at annual awards night in Saskatoon

It was a rockin' good time at Saskatoon's Broadway Theatre on Saturday night as musicians from across the province gathered for the annual Saskatchewan Music Awards. 

Trophies were handed out in several fiercely competitive categories, including the newest — Afrobeats — taken home by Rooky Kamiz.

In an interview with Leisha Grebinski on CBC's Blue Sky show on Friday, Kamiz said the genre should not be confused with Afrobeat, a more classic version.

"Afrobeat is more like a culture," Kamiz said. "It is Nigerian music — well, African music [and] it originated from, you know, we Africans trying to express ourselves through different genres in a way. So basically we like to use a lot of our rhythms, the African percussions."

Afrobeats is the more modernized "fusion" version, drawing on influences from R&B, hip hop and more.

Kamiz says he's been making music for as long as he can remember: He was a choir boy who worked on music projects in high school in Nigeria.

In his music, Kamiz says he describes his music as a "bridge" because he feels he is joining two cultures.

Kamiz didn't start making music professionally until around 2017, while he was in the process of moving to Canada from Nigeria. 

After settling in Canada in 2019, he returned to making music again in 2020.

Now, Kamiz says, he feels right at home as the afrobeats scene in the province blossoms.

"It's been a really vibrant scene, and we've been seeing lots of people come into the scene with their young uniqueness and artistry," Kamiz said.  "The community has also been very accepting of, you know, these different styles and genres."

Reducing stigma of mental illness

Scooping up his third career win at the annual awards, Factor Eight won the instrumental or ambient artist of the year trophy. He describes his music as experimental and like a  "film score for a weird sci-fi film."

Almost all of the sounds in Eight's music are made with his voice, something that is very important to him.

"I started doing that as a sort of sonic parallel to expressing myself and sharing my journey with bipolar disorder publicly and seeking to reduce the stigma around mental illness," he said backstage after receiving the award on Saturday night.

Eight said just being nominated is a huge deal for him because "being an artist is not always easy. We're coming up against ourselves, constantly doubting ourselves."

Winning the award was nice, he said, but advocating for mental health and being a part of a community is more important.

"My hope is to inspire a feeling of connection amongst others who struggle, and a sense of compassion amongst those who struggle to relate."

Artists of the Year

Afrobeats

• Rooky (winner).
• Adéola.
• Adeoluwa.
• Emanali.
• Jemo.

Country

• Jess Moskaluke (winner).
• Jordyn Pollard.
• Katelyn Lehner.
• Shantaia.
• Teagan Littlechief.
• Hunter Brothers.

Electronic

• FOOTWURK (winner).
• Flatland Funk.
• Guidewire.
• Theo Noble.
• Tim Damage.
• Tyler Cater.

Hip-Hop 

• Skizza and AK Productions (winner).
• Factor Chandelier.
• Nige B.
• Pimpton.
• Rukky Erifeta.

Inspirational or Spiritual

• Elenee (winner).
• Cyndi Aarrestad.
• Deeper Life.
• Landon Jorgenson.
• Servant.

Instrumental or Ambient

• Factor Eight (winner).
• crookedfoot.
• Jesse Brown.
• Peace Flag Ensemble.
• Sean Bougie Guitar.

Metal or Hard Rock

• Flash Back (winner).
• Augurium.
• Grimelda.
• New Jacobin Club.
• Untimely Demise.
• Zayd.

Pop Artist of the Year

• Marissa Burwell (winner).
• Lova Lamp.
• Merv xx Gotti.
• Raj Ramayya.
• Vikki Minor.

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R&B

• Katie Tupper (winner).
• Ariel.
• BTHEGHOST.
• Lyssa and the Try-Tones.
• People of the Sun.

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Rock

• GreenWing (winner).
• Autopilot.
• Dead Levee.
• NUTANA.
• The Radiant.
• The Steadies.

Roots or Folk 

• Jake Vaadeland (winner).
• Alexis Normand.
• Eliza Mary Doyle.
• Ellen Froese.
• Keiffer McLean & The Curiosity Club.
• Wolf Willow.

Contemporary Indigenous

• Falynn Baptiste (winner).
• Cupid's Heart.
• Nige B.
• Patrick Moon Bird.
• Teagan Littlechief.

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Single of the Year    

• Burning Down The Barn, Hunter Brothers.
• Forever, Kiinging.
• Heartbreaker, Jess Moskaluke (winner).
• Hoarfrost, Jesse Brown.
• Hung Over You, Shantaia.
• Jacquemus, Tesher.
• Know You, Shantaia.
• Stardust, Raj Ramayya.
• Symfonia, Ariel.
• What Colour You Drive, Hunter Brothers.

Album (fan vote)

• Baby Bro (winner) — Jake and the Kid. 
• Afrocology — Adeola. 
• Mementos — Alexis Normand.
• What We're After — Deeper Life.
• For Each Flower — Growing Ellen Froese.  
• Late Bloomer — GreenWing.
• Burning Down the Barn — Hunter Brothers.
• Keep These Stories Safe Kara — Golemba.
• NUTANA — NUTANA.
• Spice Age Adventures — Raj Ramayya.
• Exes and Friends — Shantaia.
• SON OF HAN — Son of Han.
• Empire of Dis — New Jacobin Club.
• Maverick — Untimely Demise.

Music video

• Tous les matins, Alexis Normand — directed, animated and edited by Lindsay Arnold (winner).
• Arrows, Son Of Han — Prehistoric Productions.
• George Thorogood, Grimelda — Blair Colwell (director), Dylan Evans (videographer), Jason Hamil (post-production).
• Heartbreaker, Jess Moskaluke — Andrew Parry, Munz Media.
• Hidden Valley, Alexis Normand — Matt Braden Photography (director), Alexis Normand (producer).
• Losing Friends, TOVA — Leke Esubiyi and Victor Oriola.
• She Said, Katie Tupper — Ryley Konechny (co-director), Molly Schikosky (co-director, producer), Katie Tupper (producer)
• Silent Story, Zayd — Jeremy Ratzlaff and Matt Reeb
• The Other Side, Softlung — S.J. Kardash (producer, director, writer) & Josiah Maningas (videographer and editor)
• Woman No, Katie Tupper — Ryley Konechny (co-director), Katie Tupper (producer)

Industry Achievement

• Trifecta Sound Co. (winner).
• Community Arts Mentorship Program. 
• Creative City Centre.
• GRR!.
• Regina Public Library's Digital Media Studio.
• Shannon Josdal.

Venue or Festival

• SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival (winner).
• Artesian.
• Mae Wilson Theatre.
• Ness Creek Music Festival.
• Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Festival.
• Regina Folk Festival.

The entire list of winners can be found here.