Crystal Shawanda

Crystal Shawanda (born July 26, 1983) is a Canadian blues music artist.[1] CMT documented her rise to fame in the six-part series Crystal: Living the Dream, which was broadcast in February 2008.[2] Signed to RCA Nashville in 2007, she released her first single, "You Can Let Go", in Canada in January 2008.[3] It was the fastest climbing single on the Canadian Country Singles Chart since Carolyn Dawn Johnson's "Georgia" in 2000, reaching the Top 10 in five weeks.[4] It was released in the United States on February 25, 2008 .[5]

Crystal Shawanda
Crystal Shawanda at Scotiabank Place, 14 February 2009, opening for Brad Paisley
Background information
Born (1983-07-26) July 26, 1983
Wiikwemkoong, Ontario, Canada
GenresCountry, Blues
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active2008—present
LabelsRCA Nashville, On Ramp, New Sun

Life

Shawanda was born in Wiikwemkoong First Nation, Manitoulin Island, Ontario. She spent her youth in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where she attended Korah Collegiate.[6] Her surname translates to "Dawn of a New Day".[7]

Many of Shawanda's songs have been inspired by her connections to Wiikwemkoong and part of her 2016 album was recorded at the Debajehmujig Creation Centre in Manitowaning, Manitoulin Island.[8]

Music career

Shawanda's first album, Dawn of a New Day, was released in Canada on June 24, 2008, and in the United States on August 19. The album entered the Canadian Country Albums chart at number 2, and the Billboard Top Country Albums chart at number 16. It became the highest charted album by a full-blooded Canadian First Nations country artist in the SoundScan era.[9]

Shawanda toured with various artists across Canada and the northern United States in 2008. In 2009, she toured Canada and the United States with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley as a special guest on the Paisley Party 2009 tour. Her first single, "You Can Let Go", peaked at number 21 on the Hot Country Songs charts. In mid-2009, Shawanda left RCA Nashville and, through her own record label, New Sun Records, and a distribution deal with EMI/On Ramp Records, released a Christmas album titled I'll Be Home for Christmas.

In 2010, Shawanda released a single, "Beautiful Day", via her own label, New Sun Records. Shawanda also performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010, performing "Let's Come Together" and "This Is My Land".[10] She then released another single, "Love Enough", on August 15, 2011 in both Canada and the United States. Shawanda's second studio album, Just Like You, was released by New Sun on April 24, 2012.

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
US Country
[11]		 US
[12]
Dawn of a New Day 16 81
I'll Be Home for Christmas
  • Release date: December 1, 2009
  • Label: New Sun/EMI/On Ramp Records
 — —
Just Like You
  • Release date: April 24, 2012
  • Label: New Sun Records/Fontana North
 — —
The Whole World's Got the Blues
  • Release date: September 30, 2014
  • Label: New Sun Records
 — —
Fish Out of Water
  • Release date: October 2016
  • Label: New Sun Records
 — —
Voodoo Woman
  • Release date: October 31, 2017
  • Label: New Sun Records/Fontana North
 — —
Church House Blues
  • Release date: April 17, 2020
  • Label: True North Records
 — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles
Year Single Peak positions Album
CAN Country
[13]		 CAN
[14]		 US Country
[15]
2008 "You Can Let Go"[a] 5 60 21 Dawn of a New Day
"What Do I Have to Do" 5 79 —
"My Roots Are Showing" 12 87 57
2009 "Dawn of a New Day" 7 90 —
"Try" 24 — —
2010 "Beautiful Day" 39 — — Just Like You
"Fight for Me" — — —
2011 "This Fever" — — —
"Love Enough" — — —
2012 "Closer" 32 — —
"Down on Broadway" — — —
"Chains" — — —
2013 "Someone Who Loves You" — — —
2016 "Laid Back" — — — Fish Out of Water
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
Notes
Year Single Peak positions Album
CAN Country
[17]
2009 "In Your Arms Again"
(George Canyon featuring Crystal Shawanda)		 16 What I Do

Music videos
Year Video Director
2008 "You Can Let Go" Margaret Malandruccolo
2009 "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
2010 "Beautiful Day" Stephano Barberis
2012 "Down on Broadway"

Awards and nominations
Year Organization Category Result
2008 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Awards Best New Artist of the Year Won[18]
Best Country Album of the Year - Dawn of a New Day Won[18]
Best Single of the Year - "You Can Let Go" Won[18]
Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards Best Artist of the Year Won[19]
Best Album of the Year - Dawn of a New Day Won[19]
Best Country Album of the Year Won[19]
Best Music Video of the Year - "You Can Let Go" Won[19]
Best Single of the Year - "You Can Let Go" Won[19]
Canadian Country Music Association Single of the Year - "You Can Let Go" Nominated[20]
Female Artist of the Year Nominated[20]
Program/Special of the Year Nominated[20]
2009 Album of the Year - Dawn of a New Day Nominated
Female Artist of the Year Won
Canadian Radio Music Awards Best New Country Artist Won[21]
Juno Awards Best New Artist Nominated[22]
Country Recording of the Year Nominated[22]
2010 Canadian Country Music Association Female Artist of the Year Nominated[23]
2013 Juno Awards Aboriginal Album of the Year Won[24]
2015 Juno Awards Aboriginal Album of the Year Nominated[25]
2017 Juno Awards Indigenous Music Album of the Year Nominated[26]
2017 Indigenous Music Awards Best Producer/Engineer (for New Sun Records – Missy Knott/My Sister's Heart) Nominated[27]

References
  1. "Artists to Watch in 2008 (Part 4 of 5): New Faces". The9513.com.
  2. "From Manitoulin Island to Music Row Crystal is living the dream on CMT". Newsire.ca.
  3. "MAGMEDIA: Canadian > Crystal Shawanda > You Can Let Go". Magmedia.blogspot.com.
  4. "Crystal Clearly Doing Great". Cmt.ca.
  5. "MusicRow Singles Calendar". Archived from the original on October 28, 2007.
  6. "Crystal Shawanda finds her wings". SooToday.com. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  7. "HearSomethingCountry.com". June 2, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02.
  8. Burridge, Robin (2016-04-27). "Crystal Shawanda talks about her two new albums set to release this summer". Manitoulin Expositor. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Crystal Shawanda- Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  12. "Crystal Shawanda - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  13. "Crystal Shawanda - Canada Country". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  14. "Crystal Shawanda - Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  15. "Crystal Shawanda - Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  16. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  17. "George Canyon - Canada Country". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  18. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2009-01-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. "Crystal Shawanda Cleans Up At 2008 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-27. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  20. "2008 CCMA Awards Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2011.
  21. "Announcement". Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  22. "It's a new dawn for Shawanda". Vancouversun.com.
  23. "2010 CCMA Awards Nominees". Archived from the original on March 28, 2014.
  24. "Juno Awards 2013: Carly Rae Jepsen, Leonard Cohen Are Early Winners". Billboard.com. April 21, 2013.
  25. "2015 | Aboriginal Album of the Year (Sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) | Crystal Shawanda | The JUNO Awards". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  26. "INDIGENOUS MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR | Crystal Shawanda | The JUNO Awards". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  27. "Here Are the Winners of the 2017 Indigenous Music Awards". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
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