Earlier this year, something unexpected happened to Chic Gamine. The Winnipeg/Montreal vocal quintet won a Juno award for its self-titled debut - an album that was independently recorded on a shoestring budget.

"We were just completely surprised by the nomination," says vocalist Andrina Turenne, 27, over the phone from Montreal.

"We were like, 'Holy smokes!' It was so flattering and so exciting for us, that was it - it was sweet. We had booked shows throughout the Junos, so we kept going on with the tour.

"We were playing a show in Hamilton, Mont., on the night of the awards and a friend had called us and told us we had won. We were in a total celebrating mood for the second half of the show. (No kidding - after the gig, the group recorded a two-minute song/acceptance speech they promptly posted to YouTube.)

"It took a while for it to sink in," Turenne continues. "We made this record three months after we got together. We did it in a short amount of time, and it was such a labour of love for us. We were so excited it got recognized."

It's not just folks at the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences who have taken notice of Chic Gamine and its ethereal, genre-spanning sound. Since forming in 2007, the group - rounded out by singers Ariane Jean, Alexa Dirks, Annick Brémault and drummer/percussionist Alexandre Sacha Daoud - has become one of this province's most in-demand musical exports, steadily criss-crossing the continent over the past year.

The record, which the quintet has been selling at gigs and online, has a lot to do with Chic Gamine's success on the road. Despite only being a band for three months, the group wisely decided to lay down an album right away because, as any fledgling band knows, you can't tour on T-shirt sales alone.

"Sorry I'm hogging," Turenne says, apologizing to Dirks and Jean, who are also on speaker phone. "I think that making the first record was a necessity. We were serious about being a band, so we needed to get music out there. We were really into the idea of this project, and we wanted to jump into it. We couldn't lose time.

"We're making a new record now and the process is completely different," she says.

"Now, we actually have time to think of a concept - not necessarily for a concept record, but we'll have more of a vision for the collection as a whole."

Thanks to their tireless touring, the members of Chic Gamine will also have a better sense of how they work together.

"For the most part, we're still getting to know each other," Dirks, 22, says. "The others knew each other from before, but myself and our drummer just sort of jumped in. But I think the most exciting part was discovering that we really loved working together. We took a big risk together."

The musical partnership between Turenne, Jean and Brémault is a longstanding one. The trio sang together in the renowned local vocal ensemble Madrigaïa, which disbanded in 2007 after eight years and two albums.

"When Madrigaïa ended, everyone went their own ways, but some of us wanted to stick together," Jean, 29, says.

"The three of us had been singing together since before Madrigaïa," Turenne adds. "We weren't done singing together yet."

Still, Chic Gamine is a new project for everyone involved - but the band is finding its groove.

"We did our first songwriting session for the new record a few days ago and Annick said, 'Do you notice how much faster we are?' and I guess that's true," Dirks says. "We're feeding off each other's instincts more."

"I feel the same way," Turenne adds. "I can't believe we've only been together for two years."

CHIC GAMINE
Aug. 18, 8 p.m., West End Cultural Centre