Bahamas (musician)
Canadian musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Afie Jurvanen (born April 28, 1981), known by his stage name Bahamas, is a Canadian musician.
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Bahamas | |
|---|---|
Bahamas at the 2010 Wolfe Island Music Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Afie Jurvanen April 28, 1981 |
| Genres | Folk, indie folk |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Label | Brushfire Records |
| Website | bahamasmusic |
Early life
Career
Jurvanen taught himself guitar. He worked with a variety of musicians including The Lumineers, City and Colour,[3] Feist, Howie Beck, Jason Collett, Jack Johnson, The Weather Station, and Zeus.[4] Downtown Music Publishing represents Bahamas' songs. Jurvanen recorded his debut album — Pink Strat, in a cabin in rural Ontario in 2008. He released the album under the name Bahamas in 2009 and was subsequently nominated for a 2010 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo.[5]
Bahamas' second album – Barchords, was released on February 7, 2012.[6] The album received nomination at the 2013 Juno Awards for the Adult Alternative Album of the Year. Jurvanen received a nomination for Songwriter of the Year for the tracks "Be My Witness", "Caught Me Thinking", and "Lost in the Light".[5]
Jurvanen released his third album, Bahamas Is Afie on August 19, 2014.[7] The album received first place on Q's Top 20 Albums of 2014.[8] Bahamas Is Afie received a nomination for Adult Alternative Album of the Year At the Juno Awards of 2015, and Jurvanen received nomination for Songwriter of the Year for "All the Time", "Bitter Memories" and "Stronger Than That".[9] He won the awards in both categories.
Jurvanen tours with drummer Jason Tait and backing vocalist Felicity Williams.[10] Bahamas opened for Jack Johnson, Robert Plant, Wilco, The Lumineers and City and Colour.[11]
Jurvanen released his fourth album, Earthtones on January 19, 2018.[12] Bahamas began their Canadian tour for Earthtones on January 18, 2018, the Earthtones World Tour and recruited Zach Gill to open the shows.[13]
Jurvanen released his fifth studio album, Sad Hunk, on October 9, 2020. The album won the Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2021.[14]
Jurvanen released his sixth studio album, Bootcut, on September 15, 2023.[15] Bahamas performed on the second episode of the 28th season of The Bachelor.[16]
In 2024 he appeared as a guest musician on New Kind of Familiar, the second album by Clever Hopes.[17]
Jurvanen released his seventh studio album, My Second Last Album, on October 24, 2025.[18] The album was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2026.[19]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Details | Peak chart positions[20] | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN[21] | US | US sales | US | US | ||||
| 2009 | Pink Strat
|
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012 | Barchords
|
— | — | — | 14 | 14 | ||
| 2014 | Bahamas Is Afie
|
4 | — | — | 15 | 6 | ||
| 2018 | Earthtones
|
5 | — | 76 | 3 | 13 | ||
| 2020 | Sad Hunk
|
67 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023 | Bootcut
|
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025 | My Second Last Album
|
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart peak | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Rock [26] |
US AAA [27] |
US Rock [28] | ||||||||||
| 2012 | "Caught Me Thinking" | 48 | — | — | Barchords | |||||||
| "Lost in the Light" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2014 | "All the Time" | — | 10 | 19 |
|
Bahamas Is Afie | ||||||
| "Stronger Than That" | 42 | — | — | |||||||||
| 2017 | "No Wrong" | — | — | — | Earthtones | |||||||
| "Way with Words" | — | 27 | — | |||||||||
| "My Love" | — | — | — | The Tribes of Palos Verdes | ||||||||
| 2018 | "Bad Boys Need Love Too"[30] | — | — | — | Earthtones | |||||||
| "No Expectations" | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2020 | "Own Alone" | — | 26 | — | Sad Hunk | |||||||
| "Trick to Happy" | — | 39 | — | |||||||||
| 2023 | "I'm Still" | — | 35 | — | Bootcut | |||||||
| 2025 | "Please Don't Return" | — | — | — | Songs from the Gang | |||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||||
Personal life
Jurvanen lived in The Junction neighborhood of Toronto with his wife and two children until December 2018, when they relocated to Nova Scotia.[31]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Canadian Country Music Association | Alternative Country Album of the Year | Bootcut | Nominated | [32][33] |