High Valley, Thelma & James have also just been announced as performers for the Sept. 19 awards show in Saskatoon, joining Dean Brody, The Reklaws, Owen Riegling and more.
The lineup of performers at the 2026 CCMA Awards just got a lot more star-studded.
A second wave of artists has been announced by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). The new additions to the list of those taking the stage at Sasktel Centre in Saskatoon on September 19 include multiple 2026 CCMA Awards nominees Nate Haller, Tenille Townes and Thelma & James plus High Valley (nominated in one category this year), and Juno-winning multi-platinum alt-folk band The Strumbellas,
They join previously announced Canadian country stars Dean Brody, James Barker Band, The Reklaws and Owen Riegling, as well as homegrown Saskatchewan favourites Tenille Arts, Hunter Brothers, Kalsey Kulyk and Jess Moskaluke.
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Fast-rising artist Nate Haller scored three CCMA Award noms this year and recently completed his first ever headline tour across Canada. His material has already notched over 40 million global streams. ''Backfire,'' a duet with Tenille Townes, is his biggest hit to date.
Led by award-winning singer-songwriter Brad Rempel, High Valley have registered over half a billion global streams, back-to-back gold singles in the U.S. and two gold albums and six platinum singles, featuring signature hits like “Make You Mine,” “She's With Me” and “Grew Up On That.''
A comparatively recent venture, Thelma & James is a talent-packed duo comprising the married couple of Canadian singer-songwriter MacKenzie Porter and American Jake Etheridge. They recently earned their first ACM Award nomination and wrapped their first stadium tour with Luke Combs. Smash hit “Happy Ever After You'' has grabbed over 30 million streams and the pair signed to top country label Big Loud Records last year. They are up for five 2026 CCMA Awards.
Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Tenille Townes, has, over the past five years, won two Juno Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards and 17 CCMA Awards, alongside more than 315 million global streams. “Somebody’s Daughter” has been certified platinum and “Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking)" has been certified gold. Townes is now a fully-independent artist, and released a self-produced album, The Acrobat, earlier this year.
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Rounding out the list of freshly-announced performers are The Strumbellas. Though not striclty considered a country act, the alt-folk/rock combo are renowned for an uplifting and anthemic sound sure to go over well at the awards show. The double Juno winners broke big internationally a decade ago with the song 'Spirits,'' a No. 1 Billboard Alternative hit that has topped 1 billion global streams, going multi-platinum across North America and Europe.
Heading the list of 2026 nominees with seven nods apiece are the two hottest current stars in Canadian country music, Josh Ross and Cameron Whitcomb. They shared that distinction in 2025 as well.
This year's CCMA Award nominees include 197 artists and industry professionals, with 72 earning their first-ever nomination. Check the full list of nominees here.
Tickets to the awards show on Sept. 19 are available here.
