BRUSSELS, ONT. -- The Juno Awards were handed out Monday night, but instead of the traditional gala it was a virtual affair that saw a pair of local winners.

Lyndon John X is now a Juno Award winner.

“Sounds pretty good to me,” says John.

John says he was pleasantly surprised when he found out he won reggae recording of the year at Monday night’s Juno Awards.

“I kind of forgot it was on. I wasn’t really checking, so I was just downstairs chilling watching TV, and then heard my kids start yelling, and they came down and said, 'You won, you won,' and I said 'That’s pretty cool.' I was shocked,” he says.

This was John’s fourth Juno nomination in the reggae category, and his first win.

That's not bad for an independent artist who writes, sings, records, produces and mixes his songs in his basement studio, in the small town of Brussels, Ont. Not exactly a reggae recording hotbed.

“I was in Toronto, and just kind of kept moving west. My wife found this house in Brussels. It’s far, but I liked it. It’s a nice place. I like Brussels. It’s slow, but it’s nice,” he says.

His first Juno Award didn’t come with much fanfare, due to COVID-19 restrictions, but that’s fine by the talented, but unassuming, reggae artist from small-town Ontario.

“I think if I was there, my knees would have been knocking, man. For some, not having the show was probably a bummer, but not for me. We need to take precautions, it’s serious out there,” says John.

With four Juno nominations, for all four of his albums so far, there are likely more awards in John’s future. The work never stops, for the Brussels resident - who is dropping Caribbean beats in his basement in the heart of Midwestern Ontario.

“More music man, I just have to do more, play more, and keep doing what I love,” says the newly minted Juno winner.

A local duo was also on the list of winners.

The London, Ont.-based pair Loud Luxury won the Juno for group of year.

The DJ tandem are Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace.

And they are no strangers to the Junos.

They won for best dance recording last year, when the awards were held here in London.

That was for their breakout hit 'Body.’

Among the other winners, Alessia Cara collected album of the year and songwriter of the year and Shawn Mendes was named artist of the year.

- With files from CTV's Gerry Dewan