Latest news with #CanadianCountryMusicAwards
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Sully Burrows, Noeline Hofmann and Jake Vaadeland rock Canadian country music scene
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Sully Burrows, Noeline Hofmann and Jake Vaadeland are one step closer to becoming the next big name on Canada's country music scene after a nationwide vote in SiriusXM's Top of the Country contest. Article content The singing competition saw the trio beat out hundreds of hopefuls in a bid to land the $25,000 grand prize and the title of Top of the Country champion. The winner will be crowned at next month's Canadian Country Music Awards in Kelowna, B.C. The two runners-up will each take home $10,000. Article content Article content All three couldn't be more different musically — Burrows graduated high school in Parry Sound, Ont., last June before landing his first hit song Youth last October; Hofmann was a rancher in Alberta who caught the ear of country superstar Zach Bryan; and Juno-winning Vaadeland puts his own unique spin on country and bluegrass — but the trio are all united in wanting to have their voices heard. Article content Article content Since she was a little girl, Hofmann, 22, always dreamed of playing music for a living. 'But I grew up in a town of 1,500 people … I never saw an example of how pursuing a career in music could be possible,' she told Postmedia in an interview at Nashville's CMA Fest earlier this summer. 'Still, I always felt in my heart that was something I wanted to do.' Article content After recording her plaintive track Purple Gas, the Bow Island, Alta. native saw her career take off when Bryan asked if she would sing it with him on his 2024 album The Great American Bar Scene. Article content Article content The song's title is a reference to a type of fuel farmers and ranchers use in Alberta. Article content Article content 'I never could have imagined that it would end up on his album,' the Country Music Alberta Award winner says. 'It's hard to measure the impact Zach has had on my journey … he's such an advocate for artists and writers and I'm so grateful to him for giving me a chance to take the ball and run with it.' Article content She's spent most of the summer on the road, with a show booked alongside Bryan, Kings Of Leon and Turnpike Troubadours at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park set for Aug. 15 and opening dates on The Crooner & The Cowboy Tour with Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett. Article content Hofmann is also up for two CCMAs — Breakthrough Artist and Alternative Country Album of the Year.
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
Country singer Dallas Smith winks at Trump's annexation threats with 51-date tour
Country singer Dallas Smith isn't looking to stir the political pot, but he admits it's no coincidence that his upcoming Canadian concert tour is booked for 51 dates. In a wink to U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of making Canada the 51st state, the British Columbia-born country singer and frontman of rock band Default says he's investing in his homeland with an acoustic tour that rolls through 51 communities starting this fall. We were close to that number and then we said let's just make that happen, he said with a laugh in a recent interview. It was important for me to come, especially at this time, [with] a lot of Canadian pride. I want to get out there, really go hard, and visit all these places that I haven't been and see the country. The Dallas Smith & His Band (Unplugged) tour will focus on places he's never toured before and is mostly booked in small theatre venues of several hundred to a thousand seats. Enlarge image (new window) Dallas Smith poses on the red carpet at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Photo: The Canadian Press / Jeff McIntosh He starts in Fort St. John, B.C., on Oct. 3 and continues to less-travelled communities such as Kitimat, B.C., Enoch, M.B. and Wingham, Ont. By the time it's over, Smith will have wound through nine of the 10 provinces — skipping Newfoundland and Labrador and the territories — reaching his final stop in Belleville, Ont., on Dec. 14. Sporting a red-brimmed maple leaf baseball cap emblazoned with Canada, Smith explained the reasons behind making Canada his main focus for the rest of the year. There is a lot going on in the U.S. that goes against my upbringing and what I think is right, he said in a video chat from Nashville, where he was meeting with his management. So why not double down and spend the time in a place that I really want to enjoy and be around my people? 'Nooks and crannies' of Canada Few Canadian musicians take on the challenge of playing so many small markets. Life on the road can be mighty expensive once accounting for all the people required to carry a tour. With his band Default, Smith is more familiar with big venues, music festivals and major events, such as the Calgary Stampede, where he's roared through hits like Wasting My Time and Deny . LISTEN | Smith talks about switching to country (new window) He intends to revisit some of those older songs on this tour with stripped-back versions, while sharing stories of his upbringing, music career and newer solo tracks, including How Do You Miss Me and Drop . The concept is inspired by the MTV Unplugged sessions of the 1990s made famous by Nirvana and Alice In Chains. Smith said he's been throwing around the idea of exploring the nooks and crannies of Canada since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the plan never took shape. More recently, alongside his management team, he mapped out a budget to make it happen, shedding the lavish perks and complex lighting rigs for something more modest — a single bus, trailer, full band and most of his regular crew. Together they'll work on a tight schedule that, at times, sees them booked for six consecutive nights in six different cities before they have a break. To make it happen, their stage setup will be minimal. We're gonna dial back and allow the beauty of these venues to kind of lead the way and be the backdrop, he added. Smith's approach might seem counter to the music industry trend of making shows bigger and more social media friendly — think towering digital screens and gimmicky celebrity appearances. But he said he's often rejected those pressures, and with this tour, he focused on making tickets affordable, within the $60 to $100 range, without impacting the live performance. I did not want to sacrifice how these songs would be played, Smith said. I love the guys in my band; they're like brothers to me. Playing these songs together, and paying them a full wage where they feel valued ... and balancing that with ticket price, it's a little tricky, but we landed in a good spot where everybody feels really happy.
CTV News
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Country singer Dallas Smith winks at Trump's annexation threats with 51-date tour
Dallas Smith accepts the Fans' Choice award at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh TORONTO — Dallas Smith says it's no coincidence that his upcoming Canadian concert tour is booked for 51 dates across the country. In a wink to Donald Trump's threats of making Canada the 51st state, the British Columbia-born country singer and frontman of rock band Default says he's skipping the U.S. and doubling down on homeland pride with his first-ever acoustic tour. Smith says he jumped at the opportunity to explore the 'nooks and crannies' of Canada 25 years into his music career, in which he's played mostly larger markets. The Dallas Smith & His Band (Unplugged) tour will focus on places he's never been before, starting in Fort St. John, B.C. on Oct. 3 and continuing to less-travelled communities such as Kitimat, B.C., Enoch, M.B. and Wingham, Ont. It also winds through major Canadian cities across nine provinces, reaching its final stop in Belleville, Ont. on Dec. 14. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025. David Friend, The Canadian Press
Toronto Star
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Country singer Dallas Smith winks at Trump's annexation threats with 51-date tour
Dallas Smith accepts the Fans' Choice award at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh JMC flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nanaimo singer Cameron Whitcomb tops 2025 Canadian Country Music Awards nominations
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Nanaimo country singer Cameron Whitcomb has topped the nominations list at the 2025 Canadian Country Music Awards with nods in six categories including entertainer, songwriter and male artist of the year. Whitcomb is tied with Waterdown, Ont., singer Josh Ross, who also has six nominations. Ross recently apologized to fans after facing criticism for calling the U.S. 'the best country in the world'. He and Whitcomb are up against each other in three categories. Whitcomb, whose career kicked off when he began posting videos of himself singing on Reddit, was spotted by an American Idol producer who invited him to audition for the program. Whitcomb competed on Season 20 of Idol in 2022, reaching the top 20 before being eliminated. The experience led him to decide to pursue a music career. He released his debut single Shoot Me Dead in 2023, inking a deal with Atlantic Records. His 2024 single Quitter was serviced to radio in Australia, Canada and the U.K., where it received favourable reviews. He has been steadily touring across North America over the past two years, building a solid fan base for his high-energy live show. Whitcomb's most recent EP Options was released on March 17. It includes singles such as the rocking Gasoline & Matches, and Bad Apple. Other B.C.-based acts in the running for awards include Surrey's Tyler Joe Miller with four nominations. Perennial favourite Dallas Smith has one nomination in the Fans Choice category. Smith has won eight CCMAs. New to this year's CCMA Awards is the francophone Artist of the Year award to be presented to a solo, duo or group act demonstrating exceptional achievements within the nomination time frame. This year's nominees are: Francis Degrandpré, Fred Dionne, Sara Dufour, Vince Lemire, and Salebarbes. The full list of 2025 CCMA Awards nominees can be found at Local fans will have two opportunities to put Whitcomb in first place as they can vote in both the Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year, and Fans Choice awards by casting their ballot at It says a lot about the explosion of country music into the mainstream that the Breakthrough Artist Award is presented by Birkenstock. Socks or not, the comfort shoe brand is not likely anyone's first go-to when thinking about big hats and buckles. The Fans Choice Award is presented by Bud Light, which seems much more 'on brand.' Country Music Week kicks off on Sept. 10 in Kelowna. The four-day-long event includes an industry conference, fan events, country crawl and the big awards show. That event will include performances from Madeline Merlo, Tyler Joe Miller, Sacha and Restless Road, Smith and Alexandra Kay, Thelma & James, Whitcomb and more act announcements to come. The 2025 CCMA Awards presented by TD take place on Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. at Prospera Place. Tickets are on sale now at selectyourtickets. sderdeyn@ Related The best Vancouver concerts in July: The Weeknd, Katy Perry, Paul Simon and more Vancouver Folk Festival: A classic Neil Young album reimagined, plus 5 must-see performers Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.
