Josh Ross caught lightning in a bottle as his serenading single about unrequited love propelled him to double wins at the 2025 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, while newcomer Cameron Whitcomb took home two trophies.
Ross, who hails from Burlington, Ont., won single of the year for "Single Again." The former college football player turned country star won the same award in 2024 for "Trouble," his whiskey-soaked ballad of heartbreak and hope.
"(Single Again) is my first song that broke international borders, and I'm so grateful for that," Ross said during Saturday's awards show at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C.
"Thank you for having my back."
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Ross also clinched entertainer of the year for a second time at the awards.
He said it was "incredible" to win what he described as "the most meaningful award," adding he felt proud to join the likes of artists such as Dallas Smith.
Ross has said "Single Again" tells a true story. In 2019, he ran into a high school crush at a bar and offered to buy her a drink. She turned him down because she had a boyfriend, but Ross recalled saying, "Well, let me know if you're ever single again."
The single won video of the year and garnered Ross the industry award for top selling Canadian single of the year. He also won the award for top selling Canadian album of the year for "It's Complicated."
Whitcomb, meanwhile, took home the coveted fans' choice award, along with the trophy for breakthrough artist of the year.
This year marked the first CCMA award nomination for the 22-year-old, who was born in Peace River, Alta., but raised in Nanaimo, B.C. His wins follow the release of "Quitter," his gritty, foot-stomping anthem that croons to its listeners about "the hardest part of getting clean."
"Thank you for keeping me sober. Thank you for saving my life," he said while accepting the breakthrough artist award, prompting cheers from the crowd.
"I love you sincerely from the bottom of my heart."
Whitcomb later said fans often tell him that they find solace in his music.
"For that reason alone, it would be wrong of me, you know, to go back to drugs and alcohol," he said.
The award for male artist of the year went to Jade Eagleson, a five-time CCMA award winner and Juno Award nominee from Bailieboro, Ont.
MacKenzie Porter from Medicine Hat, Alta., was awarded best female artist for a second year in a row.
Owen Riegling, of Mildmay, Ont., won album of the year for "Bruce County (From The Beginning)," which draws inspiration from his experiences on growing up in a small town.
"I'm shaking a little bit right now," Riegling said as he held the award. "I just remember being a kid sitting in my bedroom for hours and hours and hours playing guitar, trying to learn how to sing, trying to write music and dreaming about getting to stand up on a stage someday.
"Because of you guys, country music fans, I'm able to do that now. So thank you very much."
Comedian Tom Green hosted the show, which returned to B.C. for a third time since the awards were first held in 1977. The previous B.C. shows were in Vancouver.
Green kicked it off with an acoustic guitar around his neck and performed his own song about not knowing exactly what to sing, but rolling with the punches.
While viewers may have tuned in to get a glimpse of their favourite country star, they also were treated to Green having a late-night TV style chat with Whitcomb. The singer handed a pair of drumsticks to an audience member, and the pair threw his cowboy hat into the crowd.
A highlight of the night was a swoon-worthy performance by singers MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge under their stage name Thelma & James.
Speaking after the performance, Porter said she now has to balance a solo career and a duo act.
"I’m a mom now, so multitasking is my forte," she said.
Hockey players Jordin Tootoo and Shea Weber also made cameos to introduce a performance by Ross.
Other winners include the James Barker Band from Woodville, Ont., who took home group of the year. A new addition to the awards was francophone artist of the year, which was awarded to Salebarbes.
Musical collaboration of the year went to Madeline Merlo for "Broken Heart Thing" with Dustin Lynch. Alternative Country Album of the Year was handed to Jake Vaadeland for "One More Dollar To Go."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2025.
