Music News Digest: Owen Riegling Tops CMAOntario Award Nominations, Politician Charlie Angus Returns to Music

Awards News

The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) has announced the nominees for the 13th annual CMAOntario Awards. Leading the way with six nominations is fast-rising singer-songwriterOwen Riegling, followed by Andrew Hyatt, Elyse Saunders, and Tebey with four nods each. Taking place Sunday, June 1 at The Music Hall in Hamilton and presented by Cowbell Brewing Co., the CMAOntario Awards Show will close out the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend from May 30-June 1, 2025. The Awards hand out trophies in 17 categories plus special awards. Tickets for the CMAOntario Awards Show are on sale now. More info here.

– Nova Scotia Music Week (NSMW) 2025 will take place in Yarmouth/Kespukwitk from Oct. 23-26. Music Nova Scotia has opened showcasing applications and award nominations for this year’s event, with an April 10 deadline. More info and eligibility requirements here

Industry News

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) made news last month for pulling its Canada House programming from SXSW amidst tensions with the U.S., but the trade org is returning to Nashville for the 2025 edition of the Americana Music Festival & Conference, running Sept. 9-13. CIMA will again present a full afternoon of Canada House. The Canada House showcase will take place on Friday, September 12, 2025 at InDo, featuring 6-8 Canadian bands performing to festival delegates and attendees. The deadline to register here is May 16.

– Starseed Entertainment and Cottage Springs have teamed up to present Country Rising, an artist discovery program for Canadian country hopefuls. Submissions are now open, and the winning artist will receive $10K, a record deal with Starseed, an opening slot for The Reklaws at Kee to Bala, ON, on Aug. 1 and 2, and an extensive development program. Apply here by April 20.

– The Yorkton Film Festival has announced the first round of nominees for the 2025 Golden Sheaf Awards, with Ultramagnetic Productions’ new documentary Play it Loud! How Toronto Got Soul earning a nomination for Best Arts/Culture Film. The TVO Original doc explores the fascinating life and music of legendary vocalist Jay Douglas. Play it Loud! has been enjoying a surprisingly successful theatrical run with sold out screenings in Toronto (re-opening the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Theatre), Vancouver, Hamilton, Waterloo and Whitehorse.

– The recent passing of hardworking veteran Toronto musician Teddy Hawkins leaves a hole on the local scene. The fact there are two Celebrations of Life for him testify to his popularity. The first, held last week at one of his regular haunts, Castro's, was sold out and it raised $1070 for the Unison Benevolent Fund. A larger memorial gathering is set for Smokeshow in Toronto, on May 10. Hawkins' visitation is set for Sunday, April 6, 12-3 at Scott Funeral Home, West Toronto Chapel, 1273 Weston Rd, Toronto. Read Billboard Canada's obituary here.

Artists News

Canadian folk-rock quintet Foxwarren have announced the release of their second album, 2, on May 30, via Arts & Crafts. The follow-up to 2018's Juno-nominated eponymous debut, it is described as adventurous in its approach. The group formed over a decade ago, but its career was paused as member Andy Shauf took a solo path, to major success. In August, the group plays four U.S. shows in support of roots music sensation Waxahatchee. Here is the album's lead single and video.

– Swiss-Canadian electro-pop force artist Camilla Sparkssshas just released a music video for her latest single, "Backflip," taken from her forthcoming album, ICU RUN, arriving on Sept. 12. It will be accompanied by a short film, ICU RUN: The Movie. Since releasing a debut album, For You The Wild, in 2014, Sparksss has toured with the likes of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and A Place to Bury Strangers and has made quite a splash in Europe.

– Platinum-selling, Juno-winning East Coast singer-songwriter David Myles is poised to undergo a major career change, as he recently announced he'll be running as a candidate for the Liberal Party in the upcoming federal election. The Telegraph-Journalreported that Myles was hand-picked by the Liberals to be their candidate in the Fredericton-Oromocto riding, one currently held by Liberal MP Jenica Atwin.

– With an expected win, David Myles will fill a musical void in Parliament left by the departure of another noted singer-songwriter, Charlie Angus. He has been a leading NDP MP for 20 years (he came second to Jagmeet Singh in a federal leadership race), but is not running in the next election. Instead, he'll concentrate on writing (he has just published a memoir, Dangerous Memories) and leading the Grievous Angels, an acclaimed and Juno-nominated folk/roots band he has fronted for nearly 40 years, releasing nine albums along the way.

Angus and his ace sextet played a stellar show at Clifford Brewery in Hamilton last Saturday, for a highly-appreciative full house, drawing upon eclectic material spanning their career. To nobody's surprise, Angus also delivered some passionate pro-Canadian sentiments that neatly complemented his strongly Canadian-themed songs. In recent months, he has become one of our most eloquent patriots in fighting back against Trumpian tariffs and threats of annexation (check out his popular Substack here). Expect that to continue as he does his key inspiration, Joe Strummer, proud.