CCMAs, Radio Singles, Big Mamas and Chicken Chili

August 6, 2009

I’m taking a day off today to cook up a storm and freeze a bunch of food in preparation for the birth of my friend Lisa Brokop’s first baby, which based on the size of her, will be happening any minute now.  (She looks like she swallowed a basketball.)  So while the chili is simmering, this seems like the perfect opportunity to sit down and reflect a bit on all the exciting things that have been going on lately.

If someone had told me last year that I would be the most nominated female country artist in Canada for the 2009 Canadian Country Music Awards, I probably would have had to be checked into the hospital myself.  I’m still in shock!  Since the release of my debut album “When You Can Fly” this spring I’ve been nominated by the CCMA for Female Artist of the Year, Rising Star, Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Producer of the Year, and my website even made the Website of the Year category! Some people are probably saying “who the heck is this girl and where did she come from?” – but those of you that have been a part of my journey know that it has been a very long and rocky road that brought me to this place.  So I thank those who voted for me from the bottom of my heart.  This is an incredible honour, and I am humbled by your support.

In addition to the CCMA excitement, my sophomore single “When You Can Fly” is currently climbing the Canadian charts, with a video airing regularly on CMT Canada.  And on the songwriting side of things I’ve also had a couple of songs released by other artists:  Johnny Reid’s “Dance With Me” (written by myself, Johnny, and Tia Sillers) is a big hit right now, and One More Girl’s brand new single “When It Ain’t Raining” (which I wrote with Gretchen Wilson) is also getting a great response from radio.  So thank you, Canadian country radio!

I’m about to head up to Canada at the beginning of September to open for Johnny Reid in Prince George, headline a breast cancer benefit in Moose Jaw, attend the CCMA Awards (live on CBC TV from Vancouver, BC on September 13th with Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Terri Clark, Doc Walker, Johnny Reid and more!), and then I’ll be kicking off a cross-country tour from there.  I’m gonna have to pack one heck of a suitcase for that trip!

So in closing, I’m pretty much over the moon right now.  For over ten years, I’ve been waking up in the morning and doing what I love every day.  Sometimes the disappointments and heartaches added up until they seemed like mountains that were too tall to climb, but the next morning I would wake up and write another song – I just couldn’t help it!  And somehow it has always kept food on my table.  Sometimes it only fed me macaroni and cheese (with tuna in it for special occasions)….but today, the pots in my kitchen are spilling over with beef stew and chicken chili, and my heart is spilling over with gratitude.  I am savouring every moment of it.

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