‘Trust your vision’: Local Juno nominees credit success to authentic creativity

Several Edmonton artists are nominated for this year's Juno Awards. CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg spoke with two of them about what success takes.

Throughout her career, Nuela Charles says she’s heard various forms of, “We don’t know what to do with you.”

Her pop, soul sound didn’t seem to land in Canada.

“It was like, well, I’m going to show you,” she recalled.

Learning the ins and outs of the music industry is one of the things she credits to her eventual fourth Juno nomination for NU2U this year in the adult contemporary album category.

She considers the record a reintroduction to listeners after 12 years in music. It also represents a return to basics, as she recorded it in her Edmonton apartment after a two-year break from music, unsure if it was still a passion.

“It was going back to how I started initially with my first album and trusting my gut and my musical instinct, and knowing that whatever happens happens, and whatever comes out of these home sessions is really what I’m supposed to be saying in the moment,” she told CTV News Edmonton in an interview on Saturday.

Increasingly, she sees others breaking free of the music industry’s expectations – and it paying off, especially in Canada.

“I think the Edmonton scene has changed in a way that has allowed artists to see music as a viable career… People kid that Canadians make such great music because we have winter for six months out of the year, so we’re all inside writing songs. But I think that’s kind of a fair assessment, like a lot of these up-and-coming gangsters, like ARDN,” she said.

Her fellow Edmontonian is celebrating his first Juno nomination for Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow in the rap album/EP category.

Like Charles, ARDN says his nomination proves the importance of artists honouring their authenticity and passion.

He became independent again in 2024, a transition that was filled with self doubt.

“It shows me that I’m right where I have to be…. I think a lot of people, even outside of music, outside of artistry, sometimes in life, it’s easy to question, ‘Yo, am I on the right path? Am I where I’m supposed to be at this age, at this point in my life?’” ARDN told CTV News Edmonton.

The artist sees Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow as a reminder that dreams are achieved little by little, every day.

“Coming from a small city and being out in bigger scenes and bigger cities and seeing big artists, I’ve always felt like I have to prove that I belong and that I’m just as skilled,” he told CTV News Edmonton. “Or I gotta prove that Edmonton belongs in a conversation.”

However, they say the local music scene was as instrumental to their latest success as it was to the start of their career.

For example, ARDN’s first show ever, then his first headline show, were both at Edmonton venues. Both artists sought local talent in the making of their nominated records. To celebrate the Juno nod, Charles is performing NU2U at 99ten next month.

“It feels like (people) are hesitant to dive in, but I say dive in. There’s so many great talented artists of all genres that you can find playing at any night,” she said. “We might be a little bit harder to find because there’s not a lot of places for us to play, but we want to get out there and we want to share what we have to offer. So we’re definitely ready for you to discover us.”

ARDN expects Edmonton to become a music hub over the next decade, but knows that depends on artists continuing to take chances like he did.

“(The nomination) shows that it’s possible,” he added. “You just have to trust in your vision, you have to trust in your brand, and trust in whatever message you’re putting out there.”

The 2026 Juno Awards take place in Hamilton, Ont., on March 29.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg