This year has been a big year for music in Canada, including for Vancouver Island’s very own Lauren Spencer-Smith.
Spencer-Smith, 20, was born in the UK but was raised in Port Alberni from the time she was 3-years-old.
She has said in previous interviews that she fell in love with music from a young age and as she grew older it became her passion.
Spencer-Smith came to fame via her channel on YouTube in which she would perform covers of her favourite songs and eventually her own music.
In 2023, she released her debut full-length album, Mirror, after having put out a few live EPs between 2019 and 2020.
Mirror was released last July and became an instant success on pop radio stations across Canada and beyond.
Spencer-Smith describes the album as being an autobiographical breakup record which clearly resonated with many who were her fans prior to this release and she has now garnered a more vast audience because of Mirror.
The album peaked at number 45 on the Canadian Billboard Charts, but found even more success throughout the UK where it peaked at number 11 on the Official Charts Company (OCC).
Mirror is now a certified gold record, having sold over 40,000 copies worldwide, and thus it has earned some nods from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences who run the Juno Awards.
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This year Spencer-Smith has earned herself three nominations at the Junos and they are three of the most prestigious categories to be nominated in.
She is nominated for Pop Album of the Year, Album of the year and even Artist of the Year.
These categories are also filled with some stiff competition though.
Specifically Charlotte Cardin, whose latest album 99 Nights swept the nation and peaked at number three on the Canadian Billboard Charts.
Spencer-Smith is up against Cardin in every category she was nominated for and is also being pitted against Shania Twain, Daniel Caesar and Tate McRae.
This year the Juno Awards will be held on Sunday, March 24th and will be hosted by another artist with Vancouver Island ties, Nelly Furtado.
Listen to some of Lauren Spencer-Smith’s Mirror below:
