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Canadian Christian artist from Lloydminster, Sask., Elenee is thrilled and humbled to have been nominated for her first Juno award.
"This is crazy," says Elenee. "I put a song out there that I think you guys are playing called 'I Don't Want it,' and it talks about how I don't want the money, the fame, and the awards. You know, because if God's not in it. But I feel like God is in this."
Elenee says that she sees this nomination as a sign she's on the right track with her songs.
"An award is a nod to me at a time when I feel the most discouraged in my music. It feels like every time I'm in the pits with what I'm doing, whether it's ministry stuff or serving the Lord with my gifting, I honestly think every time He sends some kind of encouragement. I'm in a season where I'm asking, what am I doing with my life? To feel like I'm affirmed in what I'm doing is another representation of God's kindness to me."
Elenee feels honoured to be nominated amongst other Christian artists in the category, including Manitoba's Jordan St. Cyr.
"I feel like I don't even hold a candle to those people. I'm a huge fan of all these artists. I feel like Jordan St. Cyr has a special spot in my heart because Jordan and I met very briefly in Nashville in 2016. We were both competing in the same competition. I got eliminated at round 12, but he got all the way up to second place. I remember watching him, thinking, this guy is so ridiculously good and representing Canada in front of these industry professionals."
Bittersweet Family Reaction
Many of Elenee's family members, including her mom, will be joining her at the Juno Awards ceremony which is being held in Vancouver this year on Mar. 30.
"My grandmother grabbed me when she saw me at the restaurant, pulls me down and starts jumping around. My grandfather was like, 'Congratulations.' Very stoic. He's a writer himself. My moms really excited and my sister was just floored," after they heard about the nomination.
Elenee's father, who passed away, was always a big fan of her music.
"One of the things he did was just to support me and champion me in my music career when I was younger. I felt these waves of grief yesterday because I really wanted to call him and say, 'Dad, guess what? I'm nominated for a Juno!' He would have been so excited."
Elenee is also part of a mentorship program with Jaylene Johnson called the Canadian Christian Artist Accelerator cohort, which helps Christian artists around Canada.