NU2U captures Nuela Charles at her most raw and authentic — a bold, JUNO-nominated statement of cinematic soul and fearless vulnerability.
Edmonton-based artist Nuela Charles is stepping into a defining moment in her career. With the release of her latest album NU2U, she marks a powerful creative rebirth while celebrating a 2026 JUNO Award nomination for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year — a milestone that highlights her continued rise as one of Canada’s most compelling contemporary voices.
Known for her soul-stirring vocals, introspective songwriting, and cinematic alternative-soul sound, Nuela delivers some of her most personal work to date on NU2U. Much of the album was written, produced, and vocally recorded by Nuela herself in a makeshift home studio — sometimes under blankets or inside a vocal booth she built with her father — before later being completed with Los Angeles co-producer Matt Parad. Free from industry expectations, she reconnected with the joy that first drew her to songwriting.
The result is a fearless exploration of heartbreak, ambition, and self-rediscovery, showcasing Nuela Charles at her most raw and authentic, and solidifying her place as a powerful force in Canadian music.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Nuela(new-ella) Charles, I’m a Kenyan-born, Canada-based artist creating what I like to call cinematic alternative-soul. My music lives somewhere between intimacy and scale: soul at the core, layered with orchestral textures, modern rhythms, and storytelling that feels emotional but grounded.
I’ve been making music professionally for over a decade, releasing multiple albums, touring internationally, and placing my songs across film, television, and major global broadcasts. But at the heart of it, I’m someone who’s always been drawn to emotion, the quiet moments, the internal shifts, the growth that happens when you stop performing for expectations and start telling the truth.
This current chapter of my career feels especially meaningful. I’m creating from a place of freedom, self-trust, and curiosity, allowing the music to reflect who I am now, not who I thought I needed to be.
Your album, NU2U has been nominated for a JUNO. This is your fourth JUNO nomination. How does this one feel different, knowing that NU2U was a project where you took back so much creative control (writing, producing, and recording yourself)?
This nomination feels deeply personal. NU2U was created in a way I had never allowed myself before, with full trust in my instincts and without the pressure of outside expectations. Writing, producing, and recording so much of it myself forced me to slow down, listen more closely to my voice, and let imperfection exist as part of the process.
What makes this JUNO feel different is that the project was never built around validation. It came from a genuine need to reconnect with why I make music in the first place. Knowing that something created so intimately, often in my living room and in moments of quiet uncertainty, has resonated at this level feels incredibly affirming. It tells me that leaning into autonomy and honesty was not only right for my growth as an artist, but powerful enough to be felt by others.
You’ll be in Hamilton for the awards. What are you most looking forward to about the JUNO weekend—is it the performance energy, the community, or perhaps a particular fellow nominee you’re excited to see?
I’m most looking forward to the sense of community. The JUNOs are one of the rare moments where so many artists, songwriters, producers, and industry peers who are usually scattered across the country come together in one place. There’s something really grounding about being surrounded by people who understand the long, often unseen road it takes to keep creating.
This weekend feels less about competition and more about shared momentum. I’m excited to soak up the performance energy, reconnect with familiar faces, and finally meet some fellow nominees whose work I’ve admired from afar. It’s a reminder that none of us are doing this in isolation, even when it can feel that way most of the year.
Your sound is often described as “alternative-soul” and “genre-bending.” How do you feel about NU2U landing in the Adult Contemporary category?
I actually feel really at peace with it. While my sound is often described as alternative-soul or genre-bending, NU2U is a very grounded, emotionally led record. At its core, it’s about storytelling, restraint, and letting the songs breathe, which aligns naturally with what Adult Contemporary represents at its best.
For me, categories are less about boxes and more about context. This project reflects a level of maturity and intention that comes from experience, both musically and personally. If NU2U is being received as Adult Contemporary, I see that as recognition of its emotional clarity rather than a limitation on its identity. The freedom is still there, the edges are still there, they’re just expressed with a quieter confidence.
You’ve opened for legends like Ziggy Marley and Jann Arden. What is the biggest lesson you’ve taken from those luminaries that you applied to your own headline performances?
The biggest lesson I took from artists like Ziggy Marley and Jann Arden is the power of presence over performance. Watching them command a room without overreaching showed me that connection always lands deeper than perfection. They trust their songs, they trust their stories, and they allow silence to be part of the experience.
I’ve carried that into my own headline shows by focusing less on trying to prove something and more on creating a shared moment with the audience. When you’re rooted, honest, and fully present, people feel it. That kind of confidence isn’t loud, but it’s unforgettable.
If NU2U is the rebirth, what does the “new” Nuela Charles want to say to the world in the coming year?
The new Nuela Charles wants to say that it is never too late to return to yourself.
This chapter is about freedom. Freedom from pressure, from timelines, from the idea that success has to look a certain way. NU2U reminded me that the most powerful work comes from alignment, not urgency. When I stopped chasing and started listening, everything shifted.
In the coming year, I want to speak more openly about reinvention, longevity, and choosing joy in the middle of uncertainty. I want people to see that growth is not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes it is quiet, intentional, and deeply personal.
If this is a rebirth, it is not about becoming someone new. It is about fully inhabiting who I have always been, without apology.