Organized by the Western Canadian Music Alliance, BreakOut West is a yearly music gathering comprised of an immersive music development conference, music festival and award ceremonies. The 2023 edition of the BreakOut West Festival took place from October 11 to 15 in Kelowna.
During the event, industry professionals and artists from across Western Canada are honoured for their tremendous achievements as part of the Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMA). The following artists from B.C. were celebrated for winning their respective categories at this year’s WCMAs.
Classical Artist / Ensemble of the Year (Sponsored by Canadian Music Centre [CMC]) –musica intima
Country Artist of the Year – JoJo Mason
Electronic & Dance Artist of the Year – Modern Biology
Global Artist of the Year – Ruby Singh
Indigenous Artist of the Year – Blue Moon Marquee
Instrumental Artist of the Year – Jasmine Jazz
Jazz Artist of the Year – Melody Diachun
Rap & Hip Hop Artist of the Year – Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Recording of the Year – Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Songwriter(s) of the Year (Sponsored by The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) SOCAN – Young D, Yung Trybez – Snotty Nose Rez Kids “Hot Planet”
Video Director of the Year (Sponsored by Manitoba Film & Music) – Mayumi Yoshida – “Different Than Before”
Pictured: Snotty Noz Rez Kids
The Western Canadian Music Industry Awards Brunch is an event dedicated to honoring the outstanding music industry professionals from western Canada, the following industry-leaders from B.C. were recognized this year.
Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award – Mint Records
Heritage Award – Willie Thrasher
Audio Engineering Award – Sheldon Zaharko
Hall of Fame Award – Rascalz
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. To learn more about BreatOut West and the WCMAs, visit their website.
Featured image is from Melody Diachun.
