Southern Alberta and the Olds area were well represented over the weekend at the 15th annual Country Music Alberta Awards.
Southern Alberta artists who received recognition include Morgan Klaiber, who earned the Horizon Female Artist of the Year award; Brayden King, who took home the Fan Choice Award; and Mariya Stokes, whose album Mood Ring was named album of the year.
Chevy Beaulieu was named Horizon Male Artist of the Year, while Hayley Isabel received the Horizon Youth Award.
For a third consecutive year, 96.5 The Ranch in Olds was named radio station of the year for small- and medium-sized markets.
Speaking at the awards, Stokes reflected on the importance of local radio support in her career.
“I think it’s incredibly important and it feels really good, especially now that I’ve been doing it for a long time,” she said. “Because I know that there are people like you and stations like yours that support up-and-coming artists and give them a platform before anybody else will and give us a chance to get to that next level and have fans hear us.”
She added that hearing her music on the radio still feels surreal.
“It was kind of shocking. It’s still shocking every time… especially when people send them to me, I’m like, that’s me, that’s wild.”
“My kind of country lives a little bit on the edges of maybe mainstream country, so… when I get that support for stuff that’s a little extra artsy, it means a lot and it freaks me out a little bit.”
She said the unique thing about the awards is the sense of community fostered by the event.
“When I was first starting out… I came to this event and I didn’t know anybody. But I immediately found a community that embraced me and took me under their wing and nurtured me and gave me space to try stuff and grow and screw up,” she said. “It’s really, really special to see that community continue to grow.”
The full list of award winners is available on the Country Music Alberta website.
