Some Surrey-area artists earned Fraser Valley Music Awards during a streamed broadcast hosted by CIVL, the University of the Fraser Valley campus radio station in Abbotsford.
Surrey-based band The Sylvia Platters won the Rock/Punk/Metal category award, while singer Glisha was given the Excellence by a Female Artist award. As well, the Excellence by a Youth Artist award was won by Ashley Pater, who recently moved from Surrey to Maple Ridge.
In all, awards in 16 categories were announced during the Nov. 19 event, with 11 first-time winners of the FVMAs.
The big award of the night – the Dakota Leslie Fan Vote – went to Chilliwack-based musician Mauvey, who won $2,500. He closed the show by joining the broadcast via phone link around 5 a.m. local time in London, England, where he’s been for the most recent leg of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Glisha Dela Cruz, known in music circles as simply Glisha, says she was pleasantly surprised to win her award, in her first time nominated.
“I’ve been making music since 2018, so about two years now,” Glisha, 20, told the Now-Leader, “but I’ve been singing and performing locally since I was seven years old.”
Her original songs are posted to the Glisha Dela Cruz channel on YouTube, and her music is streamed on Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud.
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Glisha has performed annually at Fort Langley’s Canada Day Celebration for the past decade-plus, along with other local gigs. “Luckily I was given some virtual opportunities to perform as of lately, such as my performance for the FVMAS and a Youth Mental Health Regional Summit hosted by jack.org,” she noted.
“I have lots of new music coming out next year,” Glisha added, “with my next single set to release in January 2021. I attend the Music Technology Program at Douglas College, where I’m learning lots about modern music production. I would say that making music has helped me with my challenges in navigating love and life as a young person, and is what calms me down in times of anxiety and uncertainty, because I know that music is and will always be there for me.”
On Facebook, The Sylvia Platters are described as a power-pop/shoegaze band formed in 2014. Since then, the three-time FVMA nominees have released one full-length record and two EPs.
“This is our first win!” band member Nick Ubels told the Now-Leader. He’s joined in the group by his brother Tim Ubels and Alex Kerc-Murchison, a trio currently searching for a bass player following the summer departure of Scott Wagner.
In July the band posted video of a new song, “Invisible Ink,” created during the first months of physical distancing earlier this year. The video features self-recorded clips from friends, family and other artists. Proceeds from “Invisible Ink” sales benefited Black Connections, a student club at UFV that works to “educate, highlight, and cultivate Black culture” in the Fraser Valley.
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In her family’s new home in Maple Ridge, Ashley Pater has a large studio to capture her musical creativity, with new music and projects ready for launch.
Pater, among performers featured during Saturday’s virtual Surrey Tree Lighting Festival, did a two-week tour of B.C., Alberta and Ontario with RiseUp TV in October.
“It was a COVID-friendly tour, behind masks, plexiglas barriers, large buffers between the audience and the stage, etc.,” reported Ashley’s father John Pater, her “dadager/roadie.”
“We went through a lot of masks and Lysol wipes.”
Ashley had a summer 2020 UK tour planned, but that was cancelled to the pandemic, he added. “Now we are looking to try again for Sept 2021 with hopes of the world beating COVID by then.”
• READ MORE, from 2019: Surrey teen musician Ashley Pater earns accolades at L.A. talent convention.
CLICK HERE to read the full list of 2020 Fraser Valley Music Awards winners.
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