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Chelsea Nisbett picks an ECMA for gospel recording of the year.

Chelsea Nisbett doesn鈥檛 remember how she got on the stage. But somehow she did 鈥� fumbling through her thanks and making it back to her seat, her legs rubbery and her heart pounding.

鈥淏efore the award, I remember sitting there, waiting and giving myself a little pep talk 鈥� 鈥業t鈥檚 OK if you don鈥檛 win.鈥� 鈥業t鈥檚 OK, your family and friends will still love you,鈥欌�� she recalls.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how I got there, but I do have moments of clarity,鈥� she continues with a laugh. 鈥淚 distinctly remember looking out at the audience, through the lights, and seeing all these smiling faces and a couple of people I knew.鈥�

The Dalhousie student picked up the East Coast Music Award for gospel recording of the year for her debut CD, New Beginnings. She was also nominated for African-Canadian recording of the year; that trophy went to Jamie Sparks for It鈥檚 the Music.

Even if she hadn鈥檛 won, attending the ECMAs in Fredericton will always be a highlight for the 21-year-old student from Sackville, N.S. Along with her band, she played a few shows and even performed at Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton on Sunday morning. Stunning in a forest-green dress she found at Frenchy鈥檚, she also presented a few awards on stage 鈥� just don鈥檛 ask her which ones.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful blur,鈥� she says.

Another winner in Fredericton was Dalhousie alumna Rose Cousins, who won female solo recording of the year for her CD, If You Were For Me. East-coast legends The Rankin Family (of which Dalhousie law grad Raylene Rankin and former Dal student Molly Rankin are members) received two honours: one for DVD of the year for Back Stage Pass and roots/traditional recording of the year for Reunion.

For the first time in more than a decade, the awards show wasn鈥檛 broadcast live nationally by CBC-TV. Facing stiff competition from the Grammy Awards, the CBC decided on a different format this year for the East Coast extravaganza. It will air an hour-long, condensed version of the awards鈥� performances on Sunday, March 2, with host Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies.