Best Solo Artist

Most years, Matt Mays is a powerhouse in the Best Rock Artist/Band category. But for the first time ever, the former Matt Mays & El Torpedo frontman is taking home BOH gold honours as Best Solo Artist, too. The duke of Dartmouth gifted live music to his home province often during the pandemic: There was the live recording From Burnside With Love (which gave serious MTV Unplugged vibes) and four summers of sold-out shows at The Shore Club, a bass-soaked baptism of sound for all lucky enough to cram inside the Hubbards venue. “I used to play a lot of open mics in front of nobody, so I never get used to the support and the love I get,” he told The Coast in 2017. “It never gets old and every year it feels even better, even more of a tighter, warmer hug.”