Blessed upbeat about JUNO nod
Jamaica-born , Canadian reggae singer Blessed is in an upbeat mood. He was recently nominated in the Reggae Recording of the Year category in this year’s JUNO Awards for his single Money Don’t Grow Pon Trees .
“I feel happy that I’ve earned another Juno nomination, it’s a great feeling to know that my work is making such a strong impact in the Canadian music industry,” he said.
This is Blessed’s ninth nomination in the prestigious awards, touted as Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy’s. He won in 2001 with Love (African Woman), and in 2006 with Reggae Time.
Money Don’t Grow Pon Trees is produced by Walshy Fire (of Major Lazer) and the Los Angeles reggae band the Expanders. It was released on the Thanks for Life rhythm compilation album last October.
Blessed said he is confident about his chances of winning.
“The category is a highly competitive one. All the nominees have earned their nomination with good songs, anyone of us can walk away with the award, but I’m confident that I have pretty good chance to win this year,” said Blessed.
The JUNO Awards will take place in Ontario, Canada, on March 17.
Blessed’s given name is Peter Skinner. He originally hails from Seaforth Town in St Thomas. He migrated to Canada at 12. After leaving high school, he launched his career by performing on the Redd Flames sound system in Toronto.