Cameron Whitcomb may just be getting started in the United States — but in Canada, he has fully arrived. When the Canadian Country Music Awards were announced July 16, the Alberta, Canada native led the pack (tied with Josh Ross) with seven nominations for the Sept. 19 awards ceremony, including entertainer of the year, and album of the year for 2025 debut album The Hard Way. Earlier this year, The Hard Way already earned a Juno Award for country album of the year, while Whitcomb, 23, also picked up the Country Music Association’s Jeff Walker global country artist award in November.
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As Whitcomb is being honored for a 2025 project, a song from his 2026 Atlantic Outpost EP, Deep Water, is already catapulting Whitcomb to a new career milestone. That EP’s “Kingdom of Fear,” reached No. 94 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 in June, marking his Hot 100 debut.
“I never thought it would do what it’s done,” Whitcomb tells Billboard of the resonant song about dealing with anxiety and inner turmoil. “It caught me off guard, the kind of love for the song people have had. It’s a blessing, because I’m grateful the song has given people a place to feel like they can be vulnerable. It’s how I built my whole career, by telling the truth and not being too nervous to say anything.”
