ECMAs return to P.E.I. post-COVID

by Nash Alonto

Jan. 24, 2024

Islander Afrobeat performer Sea Ruth (left) performs his new song “Space” during the 2024 East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs) Press Conference at The Guild in Charlottetown on Tues., Jan. 23, 2024. He is a member of the hip-hop group the Umbrella Collective. Their album, “Welcome to Studio UC!”, is nominated for Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year. (photo by Nash Alonto)

The East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs) will return to Charlottetown, P.E.I. for the seventh time on May 1-5, 2024.

This will be the 36th edition of the week-long event, as well as being the first being held on the Island since the COVID pandemic struck the Atlantic Canada region. A total of 223 nominations were announced across 40 categories, including 41 from P.E.I. The East Pointers received the most nominations this year with seven.

Aside from the Delta Prince Edward Hotel, where the awards ceremony will be held on Thurs., May 2nd, six other locations in Charlottetown are also hosting concerts for the event: the Charlottetown Beer Garden, the Salvador Dali Café, the Trailside Music Hall, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the John Brown Richmond Street Grille, and the Upstreet Brewery.

It is exciting to be presenting the event once again in P.E.I, said ECMAs CEO Andy McLean.

“We know Islanders are no stranger to great music, and we’re looking forward to bringing you all the events that make the ECMAs one-of-a-kind,” McLean said.

Aside from the performances across the city, the festival’s annual industry conference will also take place in Charlottetown at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel.

“We bring together artists and the global music community for panels, discussions, mentorship, and creating those business opportunities that east coast artists so deserve…it’s part of the ECMAs mission to do,” McLean said.

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King shares his thoughts on the upcoming East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs) during a speech at the 2024 ECMAs Press Conference on Tues., Jan. 23, 2024. (photo by Nash Alonto)

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King said the Island has amazing raw talent, which not only helps the province grow from a tourism perspective, but also economically and socially.

“Musicians and artists are the builders of community. They’re the anchors of place, they’re the tellers of history, they’re the keepers of culture, and the seers of the future,” King said, quoting the late Islander musician Urban Carmichael.

“When you put a focus on where you’re from, the people, (and) the talents from the (Atlantic) region, you give them the opportunity to share their thoughts, to share their vision, to share the culture, and promote it within, it just shows how amazing this could be.”