East Coast Music Association announces nominees for best song of the year

The East Coast Music Association has announced the full list of nominees for the 2023 awards.

The song of the year category covers artists from Halifax, Dartmouth, and Charlottetown.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the hybrid festival and award show.

The ECMA awards ceremony will be held over a five-day period in Halifax from May 3-7. The venue has not been announced.

Listen below to this year’s song of the year nominees.

Lighthouse in Little Lorraine

Artist: Adam Baldwin

Album: Concertos & Serenades

Label: Stolen Car Music

City: Dartmouth

Working with prominent local rocker Matt Mays for more than a decade, Baldwin’s six-minute folk-rock ballad tells a colourful tale of smuggling and murder. In a press release, Baldwin states he nearly abandoned the project in 2020 but Martha Wainwright, a fellow songwriter, talked him into pursuing the album.

Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That

Artist: Andrew Waite

Album: Andrew Waite

Label: Self-released

City: Charlottetown

Now a 10-time nominee, Andrew Waite does more than just sing, write and play indie-rock tunes. Involved in music education programs in P.E.I., he runs a summer camp for aspiring young rockers in Charlottetown called Island Rock Camps.

Silence (feat. Wolf Castle)

Artist: Braden Lam

Album: N/A

Label: Self-released

City: Halifax

Lam describes his music as a fusion between The Lumineers and Phoebe Bridgers. The Halifax artist croons about his sorrows on Silence, complemented by a melodic rap feature from Pabineau First Nation’s Wolf Castle (Tristan Grant).

Give Me Love

Artist: Brandon Howard Roy

Album: N/A

Label: Self-released

City: Charlottetown

Born in Montreal, Roy found a home for his music in Prince Edward Island just before the COVID-19 pandemic. His 2021 EP Tough Love earned him his first ECMA award last year. Roy is a queer songwriter with a degree in musical theatre performance from Sheridan College. He’s using his skills to make fun, heartfelt indie pop.

Hot Sun

Artist: Daniel James McFadyen

Album: N/A

Label: Canary Minor Music

City: Halifax

Like many Halifax musicians, McFadyen got his start strumming a guitar and singing at local pubs. When he isn’t touring with his band, he’s practising in a rehearsal space he built in a Port Williams barn. He’s released a handful of singles and received a 2022 ECMA nomination for his folk album titled August, I’m Yours. Now he’s up for song of the year and rising star recording of the year.

For more info:

• Nominees for all categories can be found here.
• Watch the press conference unveiling the nominees.