TORONTO – SiriusXM Canada is teaming up with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) in search of Canada’s next Shania Twain.
Exclusively for emerging Canadian country artists, the cross-country search, known as Top of the Country, offers participating acts a shot at playing at Canada's biggest country music festivals, industry mentorship programs, a SOCAN songwriting camp in Nashville plus the grand prize of $25,000 and a SOCAN songwriting camp in Pender Island, BC.
Canadian country solo artists and groups are invited to register from now until midnight ET on March 2 at siriusxm.ca/topcountry. Following the registration phase, three artists from each of Western, Central and Eastern Canada will be chosen by a jury of industry experts to record in-studio videos for the Canada-wide online vote, taking place later this Spring.
Once voting is complete, three will emerge as the Top Country Finalists, receiving a stage spot at Big Valley Jamboree (Camrose, AB), Cavendish Beach Music Festival (Cavendish, PEI) or a SiriusXM-sponsored major festival in Ontario. Finalists will also receive a SOCAN songwriting camp in Nashville and an exclusive mentoring session with Canadian artists and industry professionals in Toronto, hosted by SiriusXM and the CCMA.
The grand prize winner of Top of the Country will be chosen during the CCMA's Country Music Week in Hamilton, ON this September. Finalists will battle it out on stage before a headlining artist at the SiriusXM CCMA Top of the Country Finale, airing live on SiriusXM, with music industry professionals and audience votes deciding the winner.
"Fostering and promoting new Canadian talent has always been incredibly important to SiriusXM and to our partner, the CCMA," said music programming director Jeff Leake. "So as Canada's premier music provider, we wanted to shine a light on the burgeoning community of up and coming country artists to give them the exposure they deserve and need to help take their music careers to the next level."
