Bahamas (musician)

Afie Jurvanen (born April 28, 1981), known by his stage name Bahamas, is a Canadian musician born in Toronto, and raised in Barrie, Ontario.[1] He is of Finnish ancestry.[2][3]

Bahamas
Bahamas at the 2010 Wolfe Island Music Festival
Background information
Birth name	Afie Jurvanen
Born	April 28, 1981 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Folk
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2000s-present
Labels	Brushfire Records
Associated acts	Feist, Howie Beck, Jason Collett, The Weather Station, Zeus
Website	bahamasmusic.net

Career

Jurvanen taught himself guitar. He worked with a variety of musicians that includes The Lumineers, City and Colour,[4] Feist, Howie Beck, Jason Collett, Jack Johnson, The Weather Station, and Zeus.[5] Downtown Music Publishing represents Bahamas songs. Jurvanen recorded his debut album, Pink Strat, in a cabin in rural Ontario in 2008. He released the album under the name Bahamas in 2009 and was subsequently nominated for a 2010 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo.[6]

His second album, Barchords, was released on February 7, 2012.[7] The album received nomination at the 2013 Juno Awards for the Adult Alternative Album of the Year. Jurvanen received a nomination for Songwriter of the Year for the tracks "Be My Witness", "Caught Me Thinking", and "Lost in the Light".[6]

Jurvanen released his third album, Bahamas Is Afie on August 19, 2014.[8] The album received first place on Q's Top 20 Albums of 2014.[9] Bahamas Is Afie received a nomination for Adult Alternative Album of the Year At the Juno Awards of 2015, and Jurvanen received nomination for Songwriter of the Year for "All the Time", "Bitter Memories" and "Stronger Than That".[10] He won the awards in both categories.

Jurvanen tours with drummer Jason Tait and backing vocalist Felicity Williams.[11] Bahamas opened for Jack Johnson, Robert Plant, Wilco, The Lumineers and City and Colour.[12]

Jurvanen released his fourth album, Earthtones on January 19, 2018.[13] Bahamas began their Canadian tour for Earthtones on January 18, 2018, the Earthtones World Tour and recruited Zach Gill to open the shows.[14]

Jurvanen released his fifth studio album, Sad Hunk on October 9, 2020.

Discography

Albums

Year	Details	Peak chart positions[15]					Certifications (sales threshold)
		CAN[16]	US	US sales [17]	US Heat [18]	US Folk [19]
2009	Pink Strat Released: July 21, 2009 Label: Brushfire Records Format: CD, LP, digital download	—	—	—	—	—
2012	Barchords Released: February 7, 2012 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download	—	—	—	14	14	MC: Gold[20]
2014	Bahamas Is Afie Released: August 9, 2014 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download	4	—	—	15	6
2018	Earthtones Released: January 19, 2018 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download	5	—	76	3	13
2020	Sad Hunk Released: October 9, 2020 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download	67	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year	Song	Chart peak			Certifications(sales threshold)	Album
		CAN Rock [21]	US AAA [22]	US Rock [23]
2012	"Caught Me Thinking"	48	—	—		Barchords
	"Lost in the Light"	—	—	—	MC: Gold[20]
2014	"All the Time"	—	10	19		Bahamas Is Afie
	"Stronger Than That"	42	—	—
2017	"No Wrong"	—	—	—		Earthtones
	"Way with Words"	—	27	—
"My Love"	—	—	—		The Tribes of Palos Verdes
2018	"Bad Boys Need Love Too"[24]	—	—	—		Earthtones
	"No Expectations"	—	—	—
2020	"Own Alone"	—	26	—		Sad Hunk
2021	"Trick to Happy"	—	—	—
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Personal life

Jurvanen lived in The Junction neighborhood of Toronto with his wife and two children, until December 2018 when they relocated to Nova Scotia.[25]

References

1. Eisner, Ken (March 25, 2010). "Afie Jurvanen reinvents himself as Bahamas". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
2. "Bahamas - Brushfire Records". brushfirerecords.com. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
3. "Music artist Bahamas grows into his adopted name". Retrieved March 22, 2019.
4. "City And Colour". Tonedeaf.thebrag.com. May 21, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
5. Semansky, Matt (February 25, 2010). "Bahamas's island life". The Coast. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
6. "Artist Summary: Bahamas". JunoAwards.ca. Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
7. "Exclaim!'s 20 Most Anticipated Canadian Albums of 2012". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
8. "Hear Bahamas Rip Soulful Harmonies on Falsetto-Filled 'All the Time'". Spin. May 29, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
9. "#1 Bahamas - Q's Top 20 Albums of 2014". Q. January 1, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
10. "2015 Juno Award Nominees: The complete list" Archived March 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. CTV, January 27, 2015.
11. Ben Rayner, "Bahamas' latest album is all about Afie Jurvanen". Toronto Star, August 17, 2014.
12. "Bahamas wants listeners to lean in to hear 'Bahamas Is Afie' album". Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2014.
13. "Bahamas Announce New Album 'Earthtones,' Share Charming New Track 'No Wrong': Exclusive". Billboard, October 26, 2017.
14. Bennett, Jud Haynes and Mark. "BAHAMAS • new album EARTHTONES out now • on tour". bahamasmusic.net. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
15. "Nikki Yanofsky". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
16. "Bahamas". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
17. "Bahamas". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
18. "Bahamas". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
19. "Bahamas". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
20. "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
21. "Bahamas". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
22. "Bahamas Chart History: Adult Alternative Songs - January 31, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
23. "Bahamas Chart History: Hot Rock Songs - January 31, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
24. "BDSRadio Charts". charts.bdsradio.com. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
25. Watt, Laurie (December 28, 2014). "Bahamas ready for homecoming performance in Barrie". Simcoe.com. Retrieved November 14, 2018.

External links

• Official website