In the Country with Dave Woods:
Sully Burrows

Still in his teens, Northern Ontario country artist Sully Burrows has already made a name for himself on the country music scene through his live performances. His strength is in storytelling with his songs. And you can hear more country than pop in his voice. Now, with his debut EP released, expect to hear much more from – and about – this talented young artist. He’s even co-written with the one & only Owen Riegling. Big things are in store in Sully’s future!

Welcome to the “Spotlight,” Sully and congrats on your debut EP, Youth! How does it feel to have it out for everyone to listen to?
Thank you! It’s pretty exciting to have something out so people aren’t just hearing my songs at live performances. It’s pretty cool to have the support I’ve had from people in my hometown. I had a sold-out release party, and a lot of people here have been listening to my songs and sharing them around as well.

Who are your biggest influences from the world of country music?    
I listen to a whole bunch of country artists, but I really like Riley Green. He has to be my biggest influence. His music is a mix of traditional and modern, and the way he writes his songs and the storytelling is what draws me to his music. Another big influence for me would be Conner Smith as well; he’s got a great voice, and his lyrics are pretty meaningful. I’m mostly drawn to artists and songs that I can relate to on some level, so Conner Smith and Riley Green are the ones I look up to the most.

When did you start writing your own songs, and what inspired you to begin writing?
I don’t really know what got me into songwriting. I think I had to do some assignment for school, and I thought I could maybe write a song better than an essay! The first song I ever wrote was when I was thirteen. It wasn’t any good, but it was a start. The first song that I thought was decent was “Letting You Go,” which is on the new EP. I wrote that song when I was fourteen after three significant men in my life, men who I admired and who were mentors to me, passed away in a span of 20 days. I didn’t really know how to express how I was feeling, so I thought I’d put it in a song.

What was it like writing with Owen Riegling? 
It was an awesome experience. I never had a co-write before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Owen and I hit it off right away, and because we grew up with some of the same things, we have lots in common. The writing was over a Zoom call, but we came into it with a similar idea of what we wanted to write, which also made it really easy to work together. Owen is really good at piecing a story together. You can see it in “Youth” the way that we were able to incorporate stuff from our childhoods, and that helped us push the point across. It was all around a really great experience, and it’s neat that it ended up being the title track to my new EP.

Now that your debut EP, Youth, is out, what are some of your goals for your future in music?
Throughout the next year, I plan to keep working on my songwriting. I have been writing a lot lately, which has been really good for my development. The plan is to get some more songs out throughout 2024 and into the new year. Also, this last year I’ve met some really amazing people that have been super supportive, kind, and encouraging – like yourself – and so I would like to continue to develop those relationships and make new ones too. I really like performing as well, so I am looking forward to what’s to come, whatever that might be.

Listen to Sully’s EP here: Youth