It was a stellar year for Canadian music talent, according to a recent Reuter’s article, which noted that artists ranging from alt-rock band Arcade Fire to polka king Walter Ostanek have received no fewer than 20 Grammy Award nominations among them.
Leading the pack with four is pop singer/songwriter Leslie Feist, who goes by her last name. Among her nods are best new artist, which has not been won by a Canadian since (American-born) Robert Goulet in 1962. Joni Mitchell and Michael Buble each received two nominations. Power-rock trio Rush will be hoping for its first ever Grammy, for rock instrumental performance.
According to Reuters, industry insiders have noted that Grammy wins do boost sales.” When a Canadian receives a nomination,” said Ken Kirkwood, director of product at the HMV Canada retail chain, “they’re usually (already) a household name here, but the added attention and focus they receive always helps in selling more CDs.” Both Feist and Buble noted that their CD sales did increase significantly after the Grammy nominations were announced. The Grammys will be broadcast Sunday, February 10, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
MusicVixen says...
Feist's iPod commercial song is annoyingly catchy, but she's still better than other Canadian artists like Nickelback, Rush and Alanis Morissette.
