Mariel Buckley
2025-2026 Annual Report Feature
Story
Throughout 2024 and early 2025 Mariel Buckley was hard at work on her critically acclaimed album, ‘Strange Trip Ahead’. Recorded in Nashville TN with her Canadian touring band, this project required significant investment, more than in previous years.
Thankfully, with the support of FACTOR and provincial funding bodies, Buckley’s risk paid off, with her winning 2026 JUNO Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. She’s also been nominated for two Western Canadian Music Awards (Songwriter of the Year and Roots Album of the Year) and earned a spot on the coveted Polaris Prize Long List.
In early 2026, she was also met with support from FACTOR for her 24-show tour across Canada in support of Matt Andersen. Gracing legendary stages like Massey Hall and Alberta’s famed Jubilee Auditoriums, this tour marked a turning point in Buckley’s career, with audience and industry alike noting her move to this country’s most high-profile theatres.
