Producer Nathan Ferraro and artist-songwriter Elizabeth Lowell Boland are pictured in Toronto on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The Canadian Press
Two Canadian musicians have been left stunned after learning they were nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards, thanks to their contributions to Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter. The superstar’s country-pop album led this year’s Grammy race with an impressive 11 nominations. This milestone resulted in Toronto producer Nathan Ferraro receiving three nominations, including for Record of the Year.
Ferraro shared two of his nominations with Megan Bülow, a German-Canadian songwriter, and Elizabeth Lowell Boland, a Calgary-raised musician, for their work on the track “Texas Hold ‘Em.” This collaboration put them in the running for Song of the Year and Best Country Song. In a call from her home in Toronto, Boland admitted to feeling “a bit numb” at first. “But I suppose that’s probably a defense mechanism,” she said, reflecting on the small possibility they might not have received the nomination.
Ferraro and Boland found out about their Grammy nominations in different ways. Ferraro was watching a live YouTube feed when the news broke, while Boland was woken up by her husband with the exciting announcement. Both admitted it was an unexpected and overwhelming moment in their careers. “You can put the work in and try to make the best stuff you can — a lot of it is out of our hands,” Ferraro said. “This year, obviously, it fell in our favor.”
Other Canadians are also celebrating their Grammy nominations. Dave Hamelin, known for his work with the Montreal band The Stills, earned a nomination for his contributions as a producer, engineer, and mixer on Cowboy Carter, which is now up for Album of the Year.
Halifax-raised hitmaker Cirkut earned two nominations for his work with Charli XCX on “Brat,” including in the Album of the Year category. Cirkut’s “360” also earned him a nomination for Record of the Year.
Serban Ghenea, a prolific audio engineer and mixer, continues his success with five nominations, bringing his career total to 50 Grammy nods. He received recognition for his work on Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet,” and Ariana Grande’s “Yes, and?” He’s nominated in key categories, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
R&B singer Deborah Cox also received a nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album for her role as Glinda in the recording of The Wiz. This marks her second Grammy nod, and she described the recognition as a “beautiful distraction” during a challenging time, especially following the results of the U.S. election.
Montreal’s Kaytranada, a previous Grammy winner, added three more nominations to his collection. His album Timeless is up for Best Dance/Electronic Album, and he’s also nominated for Best Remixed Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Recording.
Other notable Canadian nominees include The Weeknd, whose appearance on Future’s diss track “We Still Don’t Trust You” earned him a spot in Best Melodic Rap Performance, and Ontario producer Thelabcook, nominated for Best Rap Song for “Carnival.” Ottawa’s Sue Foley is nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album for One Guitar Woman, while Victoria’s Spiritbox received a nod for Best Metal Performance.
In classical music, Montreal’s Yannick Nézet-Séguin earned three nominations, including two for Best Opera Recording. Toronto-born baritone Elliot Madore is also up for Best Opera Recording for his performance in Adams: Girls of the Golden West.
