Preston Pablo of Timmins receives three Juno Award nominations
Preston Pablo, 21, of Timmins is a singer, songwriter and musician who's been nominated for three Juno Awards.
The announcement was made Tuesday. Pablo will also be performing at the 52nd Juno Awards show on March 13 in Edmonton.
He has been nominated in three categories, including Single of the Year for 'Flowers Need Rain,' which also features fellow Juno Award nominees Banx and Ranx from Montreal.
Some of the other contenders in this category include Avril Lavigne, The Weeknd and Shawn Mendes.
Pablo only signed with Universal Music Canada about a year ago and his debut single, 'Flowers Need Rain,' was one of the top 30 most listened to songs of 2022. It has amassed more than 51 million streams globally.
In an interview with CTV News, Pablo said he was still living in Timmins when he wrote the song.
"I just remember sitting on the bed,” he said.
“Picked up my guitar and I was just kind of messing around with the guitar and the melody for the chorus of ‘Flowers Need Rain’ just came out and I was just like mumbling the melody and as soon as I heard the melody come out, I knew that ... it sounded great.”
Pablo also has nominations in the 'Breakthrough Artist' and 'TikTok Juno Fan Choice' categories.
“It hasn’t actually been more than like a few years that I actually started making music,” he told CTV News.
“For me moving away from Timmins less than a year ago to now playing at the Junos … just saying that out loud is crazy to me. So it definitely, it feels like a long time because of how much work I put into it. But I think we’ve got a long road ahead so this is just the beginning.”
The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist now lives in Toronto with his brother Dawson, who’s also a musician.
Carla Comand-Desmarais, their former music teacher in Timmins, said the brothers stopped by for a visit before Christmas to talk to her students.
“I was Preston Pablo’s music teacher in Grade 7 and Grade 8 so when he came to R. Ross Beattie Public School, he was already quite an accomplished drummer,” Comand-Desmarais said.
“He had been taking some drumming lessons so when he got to Grade 7, we bumped him right away to Grade 8 band.”
Cheryl and Reg Pablo, Preston's parents, are glad to see him succeed.
'PRESTON'S HAVING FUN'
“Preston’s having fun,” said Cheryl.
“We’ll just see where his music takes him. We’re here to support him. He’s got a good team behind him and we’ll see what happens.”
“Fingers crossed,” added Reg.
A new song from Pablo, 'Ay Ay Ay,' was released in early January.
Another northerner, Crystal Shawanda from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, is also a Juno nominee for 2022 for Blues Album of the Year for her album, 'Midnight Blues.’
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.