Hey Rosetta! leads 2016 East Coast Music Award nominations with 7 nods

Nominations for the 2016 East Coast Music Awards were announced Tuesday in Nova Scotia, where legions of musicians are expected to arrive in Sydney for the five-day musical extravaganza in April.

Hey Rosetta!, an indie rock group based in St. John's, led the pack with seven nominations including album of the year, song of the year for Soft Offering (For the Oft Suffering) and entertainer of the year.

• Check out the full list of nominees here
• P.E.I. musicians nominated for East Coast Music Awards

In the top album of the year category, Hey Rosetta! has competition in from Halifax-based Jenn Grant, who has six nominations in all.

Singer-songwriterAmelia Curran and indie folk bandFortunate Ones earned five nominations each, while singer-songwriter Mo Kenney and DJ Ryan Hemsworth each garnered four.

The 2016 East Coast Music Awards will be hosted by Ashley MacIsaac and Heather Rankin at Sydney's Centre 200 on April 14, and will be broadcast live on Eastlink. The awards will feature performances by Hey Rosetta!, Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones, Natalie MacMaster and Ben Caplan, among others.

Organizers say there will also be a tribute to singer-songwriter Ron Hynes, the Newfoundland and Labrador folk legend who died in November.

The public can now vote on their choices for entertainer of the year and video of the year on the Cape Breton Post website. Voting closes on March 16 at 5 p.m. AT.