SECOND WAVE OF PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2026 CCMA® AWARDS

About The Canadian Country Music Association® (CCMA®)
Established in 1976, the CCMA® is a membership-based, not-for-profit organization committed to promoting and recognizing Canadian country music. Now in its 50th year, the CCMA celebrates the spirit, community, and creativity fostered by country music through year-round initiatives, culminating every fall with Country Music Week and the Canadian Country Music Association Awards.

About CTV
CTV is Canada’s most-watched broadcaster, delivering the country’s most popular entertainment, news, and sports programming across two broadcast networks, a powerful suite of specialty channels with CTV Comedy Channel, CTV Drama Channel, CTV Life Channel, CTV Sci-Fi Channel, CTV Nature Channel, CTV Speed Channel, and CTV Wild Channel. CTV is also available on Crave, the largest Canadian-owned streamer. Home to Canada’s highest-rated national newscast and most-trusted local news, CTV is part of Bell Media, Canada’s leading media and entertainment company, with a portfolio spanning premium video, audio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media.

About Discover Saskatoon and Saskatoon Destination Marketing Hotels (SDMH) 
Discover Saskatoon is the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Saskatoon and the surrounding region. The organization is primarily funded by Saskatoon Destination Marketing Hotels Incorporated (SDMH), a collective of leading hotels committed to advancing Saskatoon’s visitor economy. Discover Saskatoon also receives additional support from the City of Saskatoon through a fee-for-service agreement.

Together, SDMH and Discover Saskatoon drive growth through strategic marketing, major event attraction, and experience development. SDMH hotel partners contribute through a voluntary Destination Marketing Program that fuels initiatives to elevate Saskatoon’s global profile, attract high-impact events, and enhance the visitor experience.

The visitor economy contributes nearly $800 million annually to the Saskatoon region, driving economic diversification, job creation, and community vibrancy. Through this partnership, SDMH, The City of Saskatoon, and Discover Saskatoon play a vital role in growing Saskatoon’s prosperity and global presence.

Learn more at discoversaskatoon.com or sdmh.ca.

About Nate Haller
Since his debut as a solo artist, Nate Haller has firmly established himself as one of Canadian country’s premier talents, bringing his unmatched vocals and energetic live show to some of the biggest stages across the nation. With over 40M+ global streams, Nate has already collected numerous accolades, major festival appearances, and back to back Top 5s at Canadian country radio, which included taking the #3 spot for “Backfire” feat. Tenille Townes. He recently landed 3x 2026 CCMA Award nominations and completed his first ever headline tour across Canada.

About High Valley
Multi-platinum country group HIGH VALLEY has cultivated a loyal following that craves the band’s upbeat messages, anthemic melodies and signature fusion of contemporary country and traditional bluegrass. Led by founder, lead singer/songwriter and 7-time SOCAN Country Music Award winner Brad Rempel, the critically acclaimed act has been praised by Billboard for “a sound that fuses tradition with wide-eyed musical exploration,” while MusicRow calls their harmonies “delicious,” delivering “energetic, foot-stomping country that feels fresh, fun, and immediately catchy.”

The group’s musical blend has resonated with fans in their native Canada and the U.S. with a force that propelled High Valley to become the top-selling Canadian band in country music history. With more than half a billion global streams, back-to-back gold singles in the U.S., multiple No. 1 songs in Canada, two gold albums and six platinum singles, featuring signature hits like “Make You Mine,” “She’s With Me” and “Grew Up On That,” High Valley has earned nominations for the ACM, CMT and JUNO Awards alongside multiple CCMA Award wins.

About The Strumbellas
The Strumbellas write songs about suffering and celebration, built on the belief that even in dark times, togetherness brings joy. The alt-folk outfit chases big hooks, group vocal exuberance, and folk-rock propulsion, creating a sound NPR has called ‘joyful and anthemic.’ They broke through with the #1 Billboard Alternative hit ‘Spirits’ and have since topped 1 billion global streams, going multi-platinum across North America and Europe with top-10 hits in over 10 countries. Forbes says the band is ‘taking on the world,’ and Billboard has crowned them a ‘folk-pop powerhouse.’ Along the way, the 2x JUNO and iHeartRadio Music Award-winning group has brought their stadium-sized folk anthems to Jimmy Kimmel, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

About Thelma & James
Thelma & James have quickly turned an unexpected musical partnership into one of country music’s most talked-about new acts. Formed by married Nashville-based singer-songwriters MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge, the duo recently earned their first ACM Award nomination and wrapped their first stadium tour with Luke Combs. Not realizing the best writing partner was right under their noses the whole time, their first co-write in over a decade produced “Happy Ever After You.” Evolving organically from an impromptu video that earned praise from fellow artists like John Mayer, Brandi Carlile and more, the song has garnered over 30 million global streams since its release. The pair signed to Big Loud Records in 2025 are doubling down on their fortuitous musical chapter with the release of debut EP Starting Over and more new music on the horizon.

About Tenille Townes
Canada-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tenille Townes has become one of country music’s most compelling voices, known for deeply human storytelling rooted in empathy, honesty, and emotional clarity. Over the past five years, her music has earned her two JUNO Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards including ACM New Female Artist of the Year, and 17 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, alongside more than 315 million global streams.

Townes is also the first female artist in Mediabase Canada history to achieve two No. 1 singles, with the Platinum-certified “Somebody’s Daughter” and Gold-certified “Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking).” A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, she has toured with artists including Stevie Nicks, Miranda Lambert, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Reba, George Strait, and Zac Brown Band while building an international fanbase drawn to her ability to balance heartfelt vulnerability with uplifting optimism.

Now stepping fully into her independence, Townes is entering a new creative era on her own terms. Following the release of her self-produced and independently released album The Acrobat on April 10, 2026, she returns with “Sunshine’s Free,” a radiant new song featuring Keith Urban on guitar.