May 13, 2024
Artiste du mois : Les Bilinguish Boys | Artist of the Month : Les Bilinguish Boys Formé quelque part entre Azilda et Chelmsford, dans la banlieue du Grand Sudbury, Les Bilinguish Boys sont bien plus qu’un simple groupe de musique. Stef Paquette, Dayv Poulin et Édouard Landry créent un spectacle sur mesure – on the spot – qui combine voix, guitares et improvisation pour offrir une expérience inédite à leur public. Issu d’une tradition débutée au Lavigne Tavern dans le Nipissing, le trio s’est rapidement transformé en une attraction annuelle incontournable. Leur nom, une blague inspirée d’une soirée où un anglophone les a qualifiés de “bilinguish” plutôt que bilingue, reflète bien l’esprit léger et inclusif de leur performance. Leur style acoustique simple et sans […]
May 12, 2021
Winners of the Country Music Association of Ontario’s 2020 Francophone Artist or Group of the Year award and nominees again in 2021, Les Rats d’Swompe continue to grow, both as a band and within the music community. From folk and traditionally inspired tracks to uptempo bangers that will make you want to dance in your kitchen (and have fantastic Great Big Sea type vibes) Les Rats are versatile in their sounds, and ready to capture your attention, even if you don’t consider yourself fluent in French. The sound is full, fun, and all the pieces fit together like they were meant to be there. There is no language barrier in that – the music is its own language. The Ottawa-based band has released albums (La […]
April 16, 2021
2021 Country Music Association of Ontario Male Artist of the Year nominee, David Boyd Janes, has been on a helluva ride over the last couple of years. And if you asked him about it, he’d probably start by telling you that Thoughts Become Things. The Toronto country artist caught our attention in the summer of 2019 by putting himself in the spotlight – winning the Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase that August. Since then, we’ve seen him release a string of singles (that we hope are leading to an album) and watched him work through social media, building his base as an emerging artist. In 2021, while he hasn’t been able to get on stage the way he or any other artist wishes they […]
March 12, 2021
Jaclyn Kenyon doesn’t fit in any traditional musical box. She’s a lot of country and a little rock and roll, and it all comes together in a personal fit for her. From an early age, Jaclyn has been performing and earning attention and praise. At just 12 years old, she became the youngest artist to perform in the all-female Canadian showcase, Honey Jam. And she hasn’t stopped since! The Burlington, Ontario native has released a string of singles over the last two years, most recently, Me & Tennessee. It’s a heartbreaker with a strong vocal performance that feels vulnerable, honest and real. And, with a music video that accompanies it perfectly and adds to the storytelling of it all, Jaclyn hits us hard. In 2019, […]
February 9, 2021
2020 was a big year for Sacha’s country music career, and 2021 looks like it’s going to be even bigger! The Ontario singer-songwriter released her “The Best Thing” EP in July last year, with her single Standards approaching 400,000 streams on Spotify and picking up adds on country radio stations. It has landed on great playlists, picked up great reviews and recommendations, and cracked the Top 50 on the charts, with momentum for more. But, the biggest news right now might be her inclusion in CMT’s Next Women of Country, Class of 2021! With Canadian stars MacKenzie Porter and Tenille Arts, as well as talented artists like Ashland Craft and Reyna Roberts, Sacha finds herself in great company on the list – and the exposure […]
January 11, 2021
Y’all know Meghan Patrick. She’s the 15-time Country Music Association of Ontario award winner, the CCMA Rising Star, two-time Female Artist of the Year, and Ontario-born-and-raised hit machine. From the very start of her solo career with Bow Chicka Wow Wow, to her most recent single (and entry to the US country radio market), My First Car, Meghan Patrick has been capturing the attention of country music fans and building a reputation as a world class singer, songwriter and performer. Note: If you still haven’t seen Meghan Patrick perform live, we highly recommend that you make a plan to do that when our stages are reopened and it’s safe to get out there and dance and sing along! The Bowmanville, ON native was once in […]
December 11, 2020
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 […]
November 3, 2020
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 […]
October 16, 2020
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 […]
September 18, 2020
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 […]
August 1, 2020
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 […]
June 30, 2020
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, […]
May 31, 2020
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 […]