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Twain leads CCMA nominations
CALGARY — Shania Twain’s got lots to be Up! about after her first album in five years yielded eight nominations Tuesday for the Canadian Country Music Awards.
Twain scored nods in seven categories, including two for video of the year. As well as top-selling album, the native of Timmons, Ont., is up for top single, album, song, female artist and entertainer of the year, which is selected by the fans.
Newcomer Aaron Lines (You Can’t Hide Beautiful) received six nominations for entertainer, album, male artist, single, video and rising star.
Receiving five nominations each were Alberta’s Terri Clark, Manitoba-based indie band Doc Walker and Gil Grand of Sudbury, Ont.
Clark, whose snarky I Just Wanna Be Mad was a No. 1 hit in the United States, will defend her top entertainer award. She’s also nominated for single, album, video and female artist.
Doc Walker’s nominations for group, single and song came on the strength of their hit single Rocket Girl, written by Jason McCoy.
The band also garnered nods for best independent group and independent song.
The awards will be handed out Sept. 8 in Calgary at a ceremony hosted by country crooner Paul Brandt, who is vying for male artist and entertainer.
Emerson Drive, which has lost several members since its first album scored two Top 5 releases in the United States, is up for one award, top group.
Brad Johner got three nominations for Free, a touching song outlining a father’s bittersweet emotions as his daughter leaves home: top song, album and independent duo as part of the Johner Brothers.
It’s not known if Twain, who is preparing for a fall tour, will attend the awards ceremony.
Twain has previously been nominated nine times and was entertainer of the year in 1999 after the smash success of Come on Over, which sold 35 million albums worldwide. She chose to pull out of the spotlight for several years have a child and cocoon at her home in Switzerland with husband producer Mutt Lange.
Grand, whose brother Jake Mathews is up for the rising star award, says it would be nice if they could both bring home hardware.
“We just had a chance to jam together during the (Calgary) Stampede on the same stage and now we’re going to go to the awards show and cheer each other on,” said Grand, who says moving to Calgary and the heart of Canadian country has made a huge impact on his career.