The Juno Awards are sharing the names of this year's nominees for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year.

Manitoba's own Fresh IE was nominated for his album ILL Street Blues. 

"I didn't want to just do the album because it was something I wanted to do. I really studied the culture," Fresh IE says about the making of the album. "I really wanted to respect that culture and understand the process of where it came from and why it is there."

ILL Street Blues is Fresh IE's way of using music to connect to his audience.

"I have been down on my knees for so long - really wanting to understand me as a person," he says.

Other albums that received nominations include:

The Heart Of Christmas by Brian Doerksen from British Columbia

Pursue by Brooke Nicholls from Toronto

Wherever I Go by Dan Bremnes from British Columbia

The Advent Of Christmas by Matt Maher from Newfoundland and Labrador