‘I didn't know I wanted to be the bagpipe girl, but here I am': P.E.I.'s Alli Walker reinvents country music
You can take the girl out of the Maritimes, but you can't take the Maritimes out of the girl — just ask Prince Edward Island's Ali Walker.
The rising country artist, now based in Nashville, is leaning into what makes her different: a love of traditional Celtic music and a set of electric bagpipes.
'I honestly really fell in love with bagpiping because there's the College of Piping in Summerside, and my mom happened to work there,' said Walker in an interview with CTV's Katie Kelly. 'So I was kind of surrounded by it.'
That early connection to her roots would end up shaping her future. A few years ago, she worked the pipes into a tune called Whiskey's Gone — the song that became her most popular.
'I didn't know I wanted to be the bagpipe girl,' said Walker. 'But here I am — the bagpipe country music girl. And I love it because it's so fun and so different.'
That difference helped her land a dream moment: performing alongside her childhood idol, Shania Twain in St. John's last year at the Churchill Park Music Festival.
'I recorded a video of me playing my electric bagpipes to Any Man of Mine, and my manager sent it to her team,' said Walker. 'Shania loved it… and they were like, 'Yeah, she wants you to come on stage.' It was in front of tens of thousands of people.'
That viral moment capped off a breakout year for the singer-songwriter, who relocated to Nashville from Toronto 12 months ago and quickly built a team that now includes a record label, publishing deal, and agents.
'The team has grown exponentially, which is crazy and exciting,' said Walker. 'But also difficult to handle all in one year.'
Still, she's managed to stay creative. Her latest single, I Saw the Devil, continues her genre-blending streak — fusing rock, country, and of course, the bagpipes.
'It's honestly everything I've been wanting to move towards,' said Walker. 'A little bit more rock, a little bit of country, and a little bit of bagpipes.'
Now touring across Canada, the U.S., Europe, the U.K., and Australia, Walker brings a little piece of home with her wherever she goes.
'I'm so proud to be from the Maritimes,' said Walker. 'So to have everyone's support is incredible.'
For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
28 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘It's unreal … a dream come true': Edmonton concert pianist performed at Carnegie Hall
An Edmonton concert pianist still finds it somewhat hard to believe that he had the chance to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall music venue in New York. Emilio De Mercato was born into music in Italy, his mother is a pianist and passed her love of the piano on to her son. De Mercato has performed in many venues, including a number across Alberta since he moved to Edmonton in 2012, but none quite like Carnegie Hall. 'This is a legendary place … so for someone like me, who devoted his life to learning the piano, becoming and pursuing a career as a concert pianist, it was definitely a milestone,' he said 'To be on the stage of one of the most important venues in the world … it can be scary, it can be intimidating.' Emilio De Mercato Emilio De Mercato playing at Carnegie Hall on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Dan Wright Photography) He performed several pieces on May 9 in the Weill Recital Hall, including Après une lecture du Dante and Pictures at an Exhibition. 'I sat at the piano, I started playing, then I was immediately immersed in the music, and there was a great sense of relief and joy because I kind of forgot where I was, I felt at home,' De Mercato said. 'The audience was responsive, warm and loud, so they made me feel great. 'It's unreal … I'm still, sometimes, in a sort of dream, realizing I did it. This was definitely a dream come true.' Like many musicians, De Mercato is often critical of his performances, but said he was 'pretty happy' with this show. 'When you're working at recording, you want to get the perfect product, but the beauty of a live performance is giving life to music at the moment, with the emotions that you feel at the moment, every time is different,' he said. 'It's a compromise, a balance between control of technique, playing the right notes, and at the same time feeling free to convey and deliver emotions and connect with the audience.' Emilio De Mercato Emilio De Mercato playing at Carnegie Hall on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Dan Wright Photography) De Mercato said his favourite moment of the show was the encore after seeing the crowd, which included friends and family who travelled from Italy and Canada to see his performance, give him a standing ovation. 'That was incredible, to receive this honour at Carnegie Hall, it was totally unexpected, and then to perform an encore … I truly enjoyed it.' De Mercato said the concert may be the highlight of his career, but he doesn't plan to stop performing any time soon. 'It's about being satisfied and happy with what you achieved and then trying your best to continue to grow … so we'll see what happens next,' he added. 'I like to think that I can continue to perform anywhere, hopefully at the beautiful stages in Europe and America. I still have many dreams.'
CTV News
37 minutes ago
- CTV News
Two mini highland cows say ‘I moo' in first-of-its-kind wedding ceremony in Oxford County, Ont.
Two Miniature Highland cows tied the knot in Oxford County, Ont., Friday evening. CTV's Alexandra Holyk reports. Two Miniature Highland cows tied the knot in Oxford County, Ont., Friday evening. CTV's Alexandra Holyk reports. Two Mini Highland cows say 'I moo' in first-of-its-kind wedding ceremony Two miniature highland cows tied the knot in Oxford County, Ont., Friday evening, in a moo-ving, first-of-its-kind ceremony. Dressed in a white gown and adorned with a flower crown, Muriel made her way down the 'aisle' to her beloved bovine, Rhett. 'Muriel came to the farm, and then we needed to get her a friend and then we needed to get her a future boyfriend,' said Cheryl Haskett, co-founder of Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life. 'We went on a search for Rhett, to find the most beautiful, handsome boy for her,' Haskett added. Both cows came to the farm as calves and grew up in neighbouring pastures. As Haskett and staff shared their stories with visitors, the idea of a bovine marriage was born. 'We kept having guests saying … you really need to have a wedding for these cows,' said Haskett. Months of planning brought Muriel's dream wedding to life, complete with a traditional Highland kilt for the groom, as well as personalized vows. 'Rhett, do you promise to nuzzle only Muriel and share your hay, and stand protectively beside her when stroked?' asked Haskett, to which Rhett responded with a hearty 'I moo.' Other animals were also included in the ceremony, including a goat named 'Queen Victoria,' along with her kids. The bovines' big day drew a big crowd, with dozens of guests milking the moment. 'We've known Rhett and Muriel for a while,' said Tourism Oxford's Karlee Slattery. 'To just be here and celebrate their love, it's really beautiful.' 'I'm hoping to catch the bouquet,' said wedding guest Caleb Ives. To seal the deal, the newlyweds consummated the marriage with a 'kiss,' or more accurately, a head butt. As the couple headed to the honeymoon suite, Haskett said she's hopeful the herd will grow and invited guests to return for the baby shower in nine-and-a-half-months' time.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
St. John's punk band Snitfit wants to evolve beyond its Riot Grrrl label
Cramped into guitarist Ruairi Hogan's parent's 90s-style basement, the band plays a new, unreleased tune — as hard and as fast as anything they've done so far. Punk songs are well-known for their brevity, but this one sneaks up on you with a breakdown that comes back around to a blistering verse. Drummer Dom Lamouche bashes away mercilessly on his kit, Hogan happily drives the song with their signature intensity, as singer Etta Cessac-Sinclair screams her lungs out into a megaphone while wearing a star-patterned aqua-coloured dress. They're still looking for a bass player, but this is Snitfit, a band that identifies as anti-capitalist and anti-fascist, and at times comes off aggressive politically. The teen punk group based in St. John's adopted the Riot Grrrl movement attributed to many female-led feminist acts over the years. But they're working hard to evolve beyond the movement's shortcomings. "In [ Bikini Kill and Le Tigre's ] Kathleen Hannah's autobiography, she talks about wanting to lean away from the title Riot Grrrl because, historically, it marginalized a bunch of people," said Cessac-Sinclair. "So we always call ourselves post-Riot Grrrl. I think that's what we are." That sentiment will be on full display on Saturday, when the band takes the stage during the annual Lawnya Vawnya festival in St. John's. Although the band is confident about the motivation, the group admits to sometimes feeling constrained by labels. They're mixing it up a bit on their upcoming efforts. It's obvious beneath the screaming, the ear-melting instrumentation, and the band's political views, there's a lot of love behind it all. "I feel you should go about educating people with love and not hatred," said Hogan, referring to his right-wing friends and the polarization of society. "It's very important to have compassion, but also a loud and clear voice." "I wrote a really long song [when] this article came out [some time ago]," Cessac-Sinclair says, describing the inspiration of one of Snitfit's upcoming tracks. "There were terrible photos showing how the planet is dying … a whole village is burning, a family is hiding under a bridge, and a baby's dying. So I read this article, cried, wrote down the description of each image, and that's one of the songs." The members have raised thousands for Palestine relief with their performances. "It doesn't feel nice to just talk about it and not do anything", Cessac-Sinclair said.
