Alberta-based Indigenous folk/alt-country artist Kyle McKearney has been nominated for four Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA) in; Alternative Country Album of the Year, Producer(s) of the Year, Creative Team or Director of the Year and Innovative Campaign of the Year.  

Kyle McKearney has (re)released numerous singles like “Mercy,” “River Rain” and “Grandfather in the past 8 months, alongside his newest album A Traveler’s Lament.   

McKearney says that Classic Country and Blue Grass are deeply rooted in him, as it was something he was continually around. Due to residential schools, the McKearney family lost much of their heritage, however, that has not stopped him from exploring connections to his Indigenous roots, McKearney has done his best to pass down his knowledge to his sons and actively adds Cree words to his music when he gets the chance.  

McKearney has been nominated for a CCMA before, however, he says that his year nomination for the “Innovative Campaign of the Year” is what he’s most looking forward to as “It was a special moment”  

“We put it out there as a way to tell the story of some survivors”   

Kyle McKearney  

The 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards will take place on September 16, 2023, at the First Ontario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario

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