Breakout West Wraps in Saskatoon, Announcing Winners of 2024 Western Canadian Music Awards

BreakOut West 2024 in Saskatoon has come to a close after an action-packed five days of conference and festival, culminating with the Western Canadian Music Awards crowning this year’s winners across 29 artistic and industry categories (see below for a complete list). The weekend concluded with a filled-to-the-rafters passing of the torch celebration, with Winnipeg, MB, being announced as the host city of BreakOut West 2025.

Manitoba Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Glen Simard states:

“Congratulations to BreakOut West for hosting another exciting music event. Every year this exciting multi genre festival matches talented new musical artists with members of the music industry to help celebrate and encourage emerging artists on the pathways to a successful career in music. The event offers western Canadian artists important insights into a growing Canadian music scene that enriches the lives of music lovers around the world.”

Manitoba Music executive director Vanessa Kuzina adds:

“BreakOut West is such an important and impactful event for the careers of all the extraordinary artists and industry participating. We’re thrilled to welcome BreakOut West back and showcase our powerhouse live music scene and the depth of local music communities here in our province.”

BreakOut West looks forward to returning to Winnipeg after having previously presented the event there in 2006, 2014, and the 2020 virtual edition. The initiative is in partnership with The Manitoba Government, the City of Winnipeg, and the Winnipeg host committee. Fairmont Winnipeg will serve as the event’s host hotel, and festival venues will be announced in the coming months.

2024 Western Canadian Music Awards Artistic Winners:

Blues Artist of the Year
Blue Moon Marquee – BC

BreakOut Artist of the Year (Sponsored By FACTOR)
Miesha and The Spanks – AB

Children’s Artist of the Year
Al Simmons – MB

Classical Artist or Ensemble of the Year (Sponsored By Canadian Music Centre {CMC})
Allegra Chamber Orchestra – BC

Classical Composer of the Year
Farshid Samandari – “Light of Lights” – BC

Country Artist of the Year
Corb Lund – AB

Electronic & Dance Artist of the Year
Ruby Singh – BC

Francophone Artist of the Year (Sponsored by APCM {Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique})
Missy D – BC

Global Artist of the Year
Rooky Kamiz – SK

Indigenous Artist of the Year
FONTINE – MB

Instrumental Artist of the Year
Apollo Suns – MB

Jazz Artist of the Year
Aretha Tillotson – AB

Metal & Hard Music Artist of the Year
FKA Rayne – BC

Pop Artist of the Year
Haley Blais – BC

Producer of the Year
Liam Moes & Shane Stephenson – BC

R&B Artist of the Year
Sadé Awele – BC

Rap & Hip Hop Artist of the Year
Super Duty Tough Work – MB

Recording of the Year
William Prince – MB

Rock Artist of the Year
Kris Ulrich – MB

Roots Artist of the Year
Jake Vaadeland – SK

Songwriter(s) of the Year (Sponsored By The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)}
Celeigh Cardinal, Dave & Joey Landreth “Light of the Moon” – AB

Spiritual Artist of the Year
Marika Siewert – BC

Video Director of the Year (Sponsored by Manitoba Film & Music)
Sandy Rossignol – Blue Moon Marquee “Hound Dog On a Chain” – BC

2024 Western Canadian Music Awards Industry Winners:

Audio Engineering Award
Ryan Worsley – Echoplant Sound – BC

Community Excellence Award
Community Arts Mentorship Program (CAMP) – SK

Excellence in Visual Design
Bronwin Parks – Feisty Creative – BC

Impact in Artist Development
Birthday Cake Media – MB

Impact in Live Music (Sponsored by Canadian Live Music Association)
Paquin Artists Agency – MB

Impact in Music Marketing
Birthday Cake Media – MB

Full list of 2024 Western Canadian Music Award nominees can be found here.