# Bahamas (musician)

Afie Jurvanen (born April 28, 1981), known by his stage name Bahamas, is a Canadian musician.

## Early life

Jurvanen was born in Toronto and raised in Barrie, Ontario. His mother was winner of the Miss Finland contest in 1973. He speaks Finnish fluently, and he also has a Finnish passport.

## Career

Jurvanen taught himself guitar. He worked with a variety of musicians including The Lumineers, City and Colour, Feist, Howie Beck, Jason Collett, Jack Johnson, The Weather Station, and Zeus. 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.
Bahamas' second album – Barchords, was released on February 7, 2012. 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".
Jurvanen released his third album, Bahamas Is Afie on August 19, 2014. The album received first place on Q's Top 20 Albums of 2014. 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". He won the awards in both categories.
Jurvanen tours with drummer Jason Tait and backing vocalist Felicity Williams. Bahamas opened for Jack Johnson, Robert Plant, Wilco, The Lumineers and City and Colour.
Jurvanen released his fourth album, Earthtones on January 19, 2018. Bahamas began their Canadian tour for Earthtones on January 18, 2018, the Earthtones World Tour and recruited Zach Gill to open the shows.
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.
Jurvanen released his sixth studio album, Bootcut, on September 15, 2023. Bahamas performed on the second episode of the 28th season of The Bachelor.

## Discography
### Albums

| Year | Details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
| Year | Details | CAN | US | US sales | US Heat | US Folk | Certifications (sales threshold) |
| 2009 | Pink Strat Released: July 21, 2009 Label: Brushfire Records Format: CD, LP, digital download | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2012 | Barchords Released: February 7, 2012 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download | — | — | — | 14 | 14 | MC: Gold |
| 2014 | Bahamas Is Afie Released: August 9, 2014 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download | 4 | — | — | 15 | 6 | |
| 2018 | Earthtones Released: January 19, 2018 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download | 5 | — | 76 | 3 | 13 | |
| 2020 | Sad Hunk Released: October 9, 2020 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download | 67 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2023 | Bootcut Released: September 15, 2023 Label: Brushfire Format: CD, LP, digital download | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart ||||||||

### Singles

| Year | Song | Chart peak | Chart peak | Chart peak | Certifications (sales threshold) | Album |
| Year | Song | CAN Rock | US AAA | US Rock | Certifications (sales threshold) | Album |
| 2012 | "Caught Me Thinking" | 48 | — | — | | Barchords |
| 2012 | "Lost in the Light" | — | — | — | MC: 2x Platinum RIAA: Gold | Barchords |
| 2014 | "All the Time" | — | 10 | 19 | RIAA: Platinum | Bahamas Is Afie |
| 2014 | "Stronger Than That" | 42 | — | — | | Bahamas Is Afie |
| 2017 | "No Wrong" | — | — | — | | Earthtones |
| 2017 | "Way with Words" | — | 27 | — | | Earthtones |
| 2017 | "My Love" | — | — | — | | The Tribes of Palos Verdes |
| 2018 | "Bad Boys Need Love Too" | — | — | — | | Earthtones |
| 2018 | "No Expectations" | — | — | — | | Earthtones |
| 2020 | "Own Alone" | — | 26 | — | | Sad Hunk |
| 2020 | "Trick to Happy" | — | 39 | — | | Sad Hunk |
| 2023 | "I'm Still" | — | 35 | — | | Bootcut |
| "—" 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.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
| 2024 | Canadian Country Music Association | Alternative Country Album of the Year | Bootcut | Nominated | |