Jake Vance was ready to hang up his guitar for good until he received the affirmation he needed to keep going when he was nominated for the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Award for Young Performer of the Year last month. The 20 year old alt-folk singer’s honour came mere weeks after he decided he was done with the life of a struggling musician.

Last spring Vance released Eden, a five track EP that took him six months to create with a little help from Russell Broom, Jann Arden’s songwriter.

Vance was coming up through the ranks as a folk musician but was unable to secure enough gigs to make a living from music. At the start of last year he had a thirteen week stay in Toronto through the Artist Entrepreneurship Program and performed at the Juno Awards held in the TD Green Room in Calgary.

Vance had been gaining recognition as an up-and-coming folk musician. Last January he was awarded a three-month stay in Toronto through the Artist Entrepreneurship Program and played in the TD Green Room at the Juno Awards in Calgary.

Vance also to perform as part of Canada’s Walk of Fame Festival in Toronto last month due to being one of the top seven in the Emerging Artist Mentorship Program. He was also top regional finalist in this years CBC Searchlight competition during the summer.