Toronto-based country duo Jess and Tay have been steadily working to build their country music career, step by step. And as a strange and challenging 2020 fades into 2021, there are more steps waiting for them to climb. We first saw Jess and Tay back in 2016, when they competed in the Emerging Artist Showcase at Boots & Hearts. In 2020, the duo was scheduled to hit the stage at Burl’s Creek again, but when the festival was postponed for the year because of the pandemic, they had to put that plan on pause. However, with the announcement of the 2021 B&H lineup, Jess and Tay are poised to return on Friday, August 6. While they may not have been able to tour as much […]

Toronto born and raised, but still able to dive deep into a country feeling, Owen Barney is being recognized as an up-and-comer on the Canadian country music scene. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter recently released his second EP, No Road Too Long, with four tracks that show off his talent, potential, and personality. Owen Barney’s musical journey began at just seven years old when he started strumming a guitar and found influence and inspiration in superstars like Eric Church, Jason Aldean, and Steve Earle. In his early teens, he started playing shows and growing his skills on stage, and from there he has covered a lot of ground. Owen hit our radar hard in 2019 with his EP Home, and we had the chance to see him […]

Oakville’s Nicole Rayy has worked hard to reach new heights and recognition in her country music career. With the release of her recent single, Broken Boys, and her 2020 EP, All Woman, she’s showing everyone that she’s certainly well on her way to becoming a known and celebrated artist in Ontario and beyond. The 2020 Country Music Association of Ontario Female Artist of the Year nominee has been busy during the pandemic. She’s released new music, done press rounds to promote it, performed in live streams and at drive-in concerts (including the CMAOntario Awards in London, ON), creating her own opportunities with HarmoniaFest, and more. None of this busy schedule is new to Nicole. Her career has already taken her to big Canadian festivals and […]

Aaron Allen has had a pretty good 2020 (all things considered) and it’s not over yet. This spring he released a new EP, Highway Mile, was named Apple Music’s New Artist of the Week, AND he earned two nominations for the 2020 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards where he is up for Rising Star and Male Artist of the Year. The London, ON singer-songwriter and tattoo artist knew in his teens that country music was where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do, but like many artists before him, it was a long and winding road. When asked about country music, what it means to him and what draws him into it, he says, “I’ve always loved how simple and direct […]

Kitchener, ON’s Josh David is ready to make his mark on the country music scene, and he’s making his first move with his debut single, Safe Place to Break. With more than 50,000 streams on Safe Place to Break, Josh came back with a little something special and released an acoustic version of the song to go alongside it. Both versions feature the emerging artist’s strong vocal talent and make for a great introduction to Canadian country music fans. Earlier this year, when asked about his sound and who he would put his own music on a playlist with, Josh mentioned Chris Young, Keith Whitley, Garth Brooks, Chris Stapleton, and Hardy. And when we asked him who he would love to duet with, he said […]

The small-town-girl turned big-city-singer-songwriter story sounds like a song itself, or maybe a lifetime movie, but for Sarah Wickett, it’s just real life. The Beaverton, ON, native made the move to Toronto in her teens as a college freshman and that’s when she took her music from hobby-at-home to country music releases. Sarah’s love for music started young, with inspiration from artists like Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Christina Aguilera helping to craft her own sound. And with her small-town roots at the heart of her songwriting, she’s got country music flowing through her art. Sarah Wickett’s 2020 has been a lot like everyone else’s in the music world – disrupted. But that hasn’t stopped her from releasing new music to the world. In February, […]

Ajax, Ontario, native Emily Clair has been in love with music since she was singing herself to sleep as a toddler. And after years of lessons and love, she’s now making her mark on the Canadian country music scene. In 2019, Emily released two singles: Me Or The Whiskey and The Sobering Truth. Me Or The Whiskey made its way to SiriusXM’s CBC Country channel, and The Sobering Truth climbed into the Top 40 at SiriusXM radio shortly after it was released. Since then, Emily has told fans that she’s working on an EP and even shared a clip of the demo version of a song called Forget About Me that she hopes to include on it. She’s also said that the plan for the […]

A lot of bands would not have made it through the changes and tragedy that River Town Saints have experienced, but the Arnprior-based country quintet has pushed forward. With new lead singer Chase Kasner and bass player Joe Patrois joining the band for this chapter of their career, River Town Saints is ready for action, and they’ve made a strong start with their new single Slow Kiss. The challenge of replacing a lead singer as well as dealing with the loss of bass player and dear friend, Dan Di Giacomo, is a lot to overcome. The fact that Jeremy, Jordan and Chris made the decision to keep the band together, rebuild and come back with more music to share with fans is a success story […]

With her most recent single, Cry, Mississauga’s Bree Taylor continues her evolution from pop singer to emerging country music artist. The singer-songwriter’s move to the genre came in 2019 with the release of her singles, Turn It Up and Drive and as she moves forward, fans are taking notice. With more than 70,000 views on the official music video for Drive, and another 55,000+ on the video for Cry (since its release in late February), Bree Taylor is earning the kind of early attention and appreciation that helps build a fanbase and set the stage for things to come. “Things to come” includes her debut country EP, which Bree has been recording and preparing for a release in the near future. The industry has started […]

Stirling, ON, native Dustin Bird has built his road into the Canadian country music scene with hard work, great appearances, and solid songs. We first saw Dustin at the Boots & Hearts festival in 2018, when he earned his spot as a finalist in the Emerging Artist Showcase competition. It was a fantastic introduction to the young artist and one that put him on a lot of fans’ radars moving forward. Since then, Dustin Bird has released four singles: She Likes My Guitar, Wake Up, People, and his most recent release, Unscripted. Wake Up leads the way for Bird, piling up more than 125,000 Spotify streams. It’s a breakout achievement for the emerging artist and should be acknowledged and celebrated. The four songs have amassed […]

Karli June introduced herself to the Canadian country music scene in 2016 when her singles, Black & White and Setting Me on Fire, were both distributed to radio. Now, she’s ready to kick off 2020 with the release of her newest song, Say Too Much, on January 24. Over the last five years, the Listowel, ON native has been putting in work playing shows with artists like Dierks Bentley, Jason Blaine, Brett Kissel and Terri Clark. But she was a performer even before that. Like many other artists, Karli started singing in the church choir and then moved on to local fairs and signing competitions. By the time she was a teenager, she was taking piano, taught herself how to play the guitar, and started […]