Adrian Sutherland's solo debut has the magic touch.
The Attawapiskat musician has earned his first-ever Juno Award nomination for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year.
The founder of Midnight Shine band, Sutherland released his debut solo album When the Magic Hits in September 2021.
Having submitted to the Junos for the past decade, Sutherland didn't have high expectations when the nominations were announced last week.
“I couldn’t be happier about this news,” said Sutherland in a news release. “Even though it’s my first Juno nomination, I’ve been working hard at my music career since 2011. It means a lot to see my new album being recognized by the music industry.”
This year, the Juno Awards are returning to an in-person celebration. It's being held in Toronto on May 15.
While Sutherland has been at Juno Week a handful of times, this is the first time he's there on his artistic merit. The other appearances, he said, have been on his hockey merit for the Juno Cup.
When the Magic Hits came about during the pandemic.
Isolated in Attawapiskat, Sutherland built a SeaCan studio in his backyard to record the album.
With a Juno nomination in the books and summer and fall of live shows being booked, he's prepping to be back in the spotlight.
“I’m a little nervous about actually getting back out and performing and jumping on stage, it’s just been so long. So I’m starting to schedule in rehearsals an hour a day, sometimes a little bit longer, working towards hopefully having the opportunity to perform at the Junos,” he said.
Sutherland is also working on a memoir and runs a small business with his wife, Judy, in Attawapiskat.
“Pretty much, my days are packed and most weekends are pretty full as well,” he said.
In the coming weeks, a video for his next single Scared is also being released.
