Nova Scotia’s Cameron Nickerson earns first CCMA nomination

Yarmouth, N.S., singer-songwriter Cameron Nickerson scored his first Canadian Country Music Award nomination.

Country singer-songwriter Cameron Nickerson is celebrating a career milestone with his first Canadian Country Music Award nomination.

The Yarmouth native is up for Innovative Campaign of the Year, recognition for a creative project built around his song Wheels of Steel. “I didn’t know we had even put in for this,” said Nickerson in an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly. “So yeah, it was a pleasant surprise.”

The roots of the campaign go back six years, when Nickerson first took part in VIA Rail’s artist program, travelling across the country.

“In 2019 I wrote the song before going on the train, and I had barely been out of the Maritimes,” said Nickerson. “I went by myself, so I was nervous. It was just kind of about the pre-jitters of leaving and heading westbound.”

That experience became Wheels of Steel. When the VIA program reopened after the pandemic, Nickerson and his team decided to retrace his steps - this time with a camera in hand.

“We did the trip, and the whole way along we were filming content and sneaking in little bits about the song,” said Nickerson. “Then we released the single after we got back off the train.”

Wheels of Steel is the lead single from his upcoming album, set for release in February.

“My grandfather was a bluegrass artist, and I always told myself I was going to do a bluegrass album,” said Nickerson. “Something about last year just felt right to do it.”

The album also features a heartfelt tribute to John Prine called ‘John Prine (Can You Bring Me Down).

“John Prine was always able to bring me back to baseline when I was going through some stuff,” said Nickerson. “The day he passed, I was going through things too, and I put him on. He kind of brought me down to base level like he usually does. I just wrote a little tune about that.”

Now, with the nomination in hand and a new record on the way, Nickerson is preparing to head to Kelowna, B.C., for the CCMAs this weekend.

“I’m just really trying to enjoy it,” said Nickerson. “Stay clean, stay healthy, and just try to get through it all as best I can. But life’s great right now.”