Award-winning N.S. musician seriously hurt in crash planning rebound in 2026

CITYnews halifax / By Steve Gow

Things were going pretty well for Elyse Aeryn when tragedy struck in September.

Music Nova Scotia’s 2024 Entertainer of the Year was fresh off hitting number one on the Canadian Indie Country Countdown when her motorcycle was struck by a vehicle in Glace Bay.

Aeryn sustained serious injuries including a broken arm, broken ankle, several facial fractures that included a broken jaw, as well as concussion symptoms after hitting her head, all which had the potential to end her budding career.

Aeryn says the past few months have been a struggle, but support through a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $83,000 to help pay expenses has certainly helped her determination to rebound.

“It was incredible,” Aeryn says about the outpouring of support on the fundraising platform. “To me, it meant that people believed I could heal and I could get back and it felt like every dollar was a cheer saying, ‘come on, you can do it.’”

Aeryn says she is still undergoing physical therapy and only recently had her walking cast removed.

As well, retraining herself to play guitar and sing have proven a challenge in the wake of the accident.

“It wasn’t very comfortable moving my arm up and down the neck of my guitar as my arm was healing and my jaw needs a little rehab as well,” she says. “It is just going to take a little bit of time so I’m not trying to rush things or get frustrated but it’s been a process getting back to music as well as getting back to life.”

Although Aeryn says the recovery has been slow, she is now focused on a comeback show scheduled for late February in Membertou, which will also showcase her sophomore album, Everybody Loves You.

For Aeryn, and her fans, that comeback show will mark a triumphant return for the sidelined Nova Scotia star after a near-tragic accident.

“It will be a celebration, that’s for sure,” she says. “I never imagined what it would be like recovering from something like that.”