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
NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
Russia reports downing 5 Ukrainian military balloons in Kyiv's latest apparent war innovation
Russian air defences downed what authorities described as five Ukrainian balloons overnight, the defence ministry in Moscow said Thursday, as the sides kept up long-range strikes that have featured heavily in what has largely become a war of attrition.