Artiste du mois : Griffen Palmer
Griffen Palmer’s career journey is one unlike many. The Peterborough native grew up in a large musical family. His father- who is also a musician – encouraged Griffen to explore his musical talents and take up piano, drums and guitar. At 12, he was gifted a guitar and a pair of tickets to see Van Halen in concert. During his teenage years, he played in garage bands and began songwriting.
Not only is Palmer a talented musician, but he is also a rugby player, and accepted a scholarship to Bowling Green State University in Ohio. From there, he embarked on what many young aspiring artists do… door knocking! He went out looking for opportunities to perform, in small bars. Eventually, one opportunity led to many more, and he was able to make a living solely from his passion. He shares, “When most people tell their parents they’re moving across the country to try to be an artist, their reaction is not what my family’s was. My family was like, ‘Of course! That’s what we do in this house.’”
One day, Palmer found himself at a house party with Grammy-nominated songwriter Geoff Warburton, and some executives from Big Loud. He didn’t have a demo with him, but they were interested in him anyway. Not too long after, in 2019, he signed with management company Starseed Entertainment and moved to Nashville where he signed with Big Loud Publishing.
In 2020, Palmer was featured on the NBC songwriting competition show “Songland”. There, he pitched his song “Second Guessing” to Florida Georgia Line, which they ended up cutting. He fortunately won the show and gained even more recognition in the Nashville songwriting community. Keith Urban, Mackenzie Porter, Diplo, The Band Camino, Chelsea Cutter, Jade Eagleson, and more have also cut songs by Palmer. Palmer released his own version of “Second Guessing,” which was recognized by SiriusXM The Highway as a “Highway Find.” The song was heard by millions more when he performed it on the TV show, The Bachelor. Fun fact: Bachelor alum, host and former pro football player, Jessie Palmer, is Griffen’s first cousin!
In 2023, Griffen released his debut pop-infused country album, “Unlearn”. He performed at CMA Fest for the first time and was the supporting act on the Lily Rose, Brett Young and Mackenzie Porter tours. Additionally, he was nominated for a Canadian Country Music Award for Breakthrough Artist/Group. Palmer reflects on his album, stating, “The songs on this record are really about what it feels like to be a young person experiencing life and love for the first time and the process of learning who you are, especially through the lens of meeting new people, building relationships, and sometimes losing them.” He was also recognized this year as a Country Music Association of Ontario nominee for both Album of the Year and Fans’ Choice.
Check out Palmer’s latest release, “Heart of Exes.” You can also catch him on July 7th at Cavendish Beach Music Festival and on July 21st at Country on the Bay at Fort William Historical Park.
www.instagram.com/griffenpalmer
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Contributing writer: Alexa Leal, Alexa’s Country Party