Best Folk Artist / Band

GOLD WINNER

Rose Cousins
website

SILVER WINNER

Willie Stratton
website

BRONZE WINNER

Hillsburn
website

By now, you might be thinking that gold-winning folkie Rose Cousins must be sick to death of hearing about how hard her 2020 album Bravado slaps: She has the Contemporary Roots Recording of the Year Juno to prove it, after all. The 12-track effort, which delved into the subtle but significant differences between loneliness and being alone, felt both timeless and timely as lockdown descended—but for Cousins its marmalade-bright brand of folk will keep striking a soothing minor chord.

“I’m obviously really proud of the record and there’s definitely been some dark moments where it’s kind of like: How do you honour a project without the normal tools? Without being able to stand on a stage, or behind the merch table and actually interact with the people who support you most?” Cousins told The Coast when we chatted with her on Instagram Live back in June. “But really, people have really shown me a lot of support, whether it’s buying merch or sending me notes of encouragement.” Now, she can count her latest Best of Halifax win in that list of bolsterings.