When chanteuse  Miss Emily hits the stage at The Regent Theatre this spring, she might have some impressive hardware in tow.

The Milfordian’s latest album was nominated for the 2026 Juno Blues Album of the Year award. It’s the singer’s second Juno nod; Live at the Isabel lost out to Colin James in 2022.

“It’s a little out of the blue,” Miss Emily told the Gazette. “For my last album, Defined by Love, (producer) Steve Marriner and I put a ton of work into it and it didn’t get a Juno nom. Sometimes things can be tricky with genres, but I’m so happy we’ve gotten this one.”

Meanwhile, this County-born Canadian is making an impression around the world. Her new album appears to offer exactly the right dose for critics and fans alike. 

Listeners are finding out what the County has known all along: Emily Fennell has strong, soulful pipes, and music that explores every crevice of the human condition.

Rolling Stone magazine says Miss Emily’s powerful voice is “technically perfect.” Germany’s Blues News magazine put the singer’s visage on the cover. A feature story in the latest edition of Blues in Britain introduces Miss Emily to the UK.

Making A Scene, America’s top independent music magazine, featured Miss Emily and The Medicine last October, noting her collaboration with Rob Baker of Tragically Hip fame on the song Maybe has a “soulful edge.”

“The Medicine explores the full spectrum of the human condition — celebrating unity and resilience in the uplifting anthem Stand Together, Band Together, while delving into vulnerability and loss on the moving title track,” writes Richard L’Hommedieu. 

“At its core, The Medicine is a record about courage and connection — two qualities that have defined Miss Emily’s life and career from the start.”

Crowd Funded

Miss Emily launched a kickstarter campaign last year, successfully raising a third of the budget for Good Medicine. Knowing ahead of time what she wanted to accomplish both artistically and commercially made for a focused journey alongside multiple JUNO- and Grammy-winning producer Colin Linden.

“We poured a lot of time and money into this album to make sure not only the sound was right, but everything else, including the publicity, marketing, graphics, photo shoots, all of that,” she said. “These days recording is still an important piece but just one piece.”

Once completed, Gypsy Soul Records founder Renan Yildizdogan took a listen and The Medicine landed with him. Based in Toronto, Gypsy Soul partners on distribution with Warner Music, FUGA and Proper Music UK.

“Renan loved the record and said Gypsy Soul typically takes eight or nine months to develop a release,” Miss Emily said. A crash course with some of the best Blues publicists in the world got the album into the hands of reviewers, critics, columnists and radio stations.

“We just went for it. This is ultimately how the word gets out and the excitement builds around it and the buzz gets created,” she said.

Miss Emily will be in the audience at the 2026 Juno Gala Saturday, March 28 when the Blues Album of the Year award will be announced.

Her hometown show at The Regent the following weekend, on April 4, will be electric as always. But if destiny aligns with the hopes of her local fan base, this show will be off the charts.