Cowgirl Talk with Nice Horse’s Krista Wodelet

A lot can happen in a few short months, even when the world feels like it's crawled to a standstill. And that couldn't be more true for .

Since we last had the chance to chat with the four-woman country band back in January, the pandemic hit, shows were cancelled, and festival season was scrapped - but there have also been two music video releases, the band's first Top 40 single, and a Canadian Country Music Association nomination for Interactive Artist of the Year.

Recently, I had the chance to get on the Zoom with Krista to talk about the last few months and the upcoming CCMAs, and what we were able to hash out is that it's hard to say that anything can make up for the downs that artists, fans, and the industry are going through this year, but at least Nice Horse has had some things to smile about.

Cowgirl Talk with Nice Horse’s Krista Wodelet

When we last caught up with Nice Horse in Toronto, they had just filmed the music video for Hot Mess, and in hindsight, we wish we had asked a lot more questions about it because it is a romp.

Filmed mostly at The Darling Mansion in Toronto, with a superb guest-starring role from Toronto Drag Queen, Jezebel Bardot and special appearances by RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 3 winner, Trixie Mattel, the Hot Mess video is a ton of fun, offers amazing visuals in a perfect filming location, and packs as much Drag fun as possible into a country music video. Oh, and the song is a banger too!

When we spoke to the band in January, Krista told us that she had taken on a lot of the last-minute Producer duties because indie bands have limited budgets - but as an added bonus, as a group of Type A individuals, having their hands on the control switch is also a comfortable position to be in.

Nice Horse - Hot Mess

Note: I also want to take a quick second to give some much-deserved props to Nice Horse for making this video and using Jezebel Bardot and Trixie Mattel as performers and personalities. This isn't the norm for country music and it was awesome to see that kind of inclusion in the genre. Well done ladies.

Hot Mess isn't the only music video released by Nice Horse during the pandemic though. More recently, the band dropped the official music video for their newest single, Cowgirl, and it's a doozy, too!

The animated clip features all four band members joining forces to fight a giant robot - and if Drag Queens were high on the list of unique features in a country music video, this has to be on there too.

Krista said that once the decision was made to go animated, the band had an opportunity to do things that they would never be able to do in real life. From there, the decision to make themselves superheroes was easy. And fighting a giant robot, why not?! Nice Horse teamed up with Tivoli Films for the video, and while they didn't have a hand in creating the visuals, they were by no means hands-off.

Krista told me that they went back and forth with the animation team on sketches and details like faces and clothing to make things accurate and cool. She said that the band also took care of writing all of the comic book style captions in the video, putting another stamp of ownership on the creative process.

In the end, Cowgirl is another empowering anthem from Nice Horse, bringing women together, whether they were "raised on Reba, Aretha or Patsy Cline. Shania or Alanis, rocked like Janis. Whatever makes you feel alive." - and we love it.

Nice Horse - Cowgirl

Cowgirl has also officially become Nice Horse's first Top 40 single at Canadian country radio. It's a significant accomplishment for the band, even if the timing is a little... weird.

Krista told me that she hasn't reaped the full experiential reward for the Top 40 status, because she hasn't been out in her car as much listening to country radio. She said that it took a couple of weeks for things to really sink in that they had reached their place on the charts, and while the four members of the band haven't all been together to celebrate, they have had the chance to connect for some online celebrations together.

As much as there has been to celebrate though, it hasn't all been strawberries and champagne.

Krista admitted that there were thoughts that, you know, maybe this is the end of the line. There was and is so much uncertainty in the music industry right now that it's hard for a band that fights for every piece of anything they get to hold on. But, with the Top 40, their well-deserved CCMA nomination, and more music and content on the way, they're not ready to hang it up yet.

Nice Horse has taken to the internet to write together, and record with award-winning producer Jeff Dalziel. It's not the same as being in the same room, it's not ideal, but it's also not stopping these women from putting in the work so they can take the next step, whenever it's time to do that.

While we were on our call we did take a few minutes to talk about the band's CCMA nomination for Interactive Artist of the Year. Nice Horse puts a lot of work into creating great content (outside of their songs and official videos) to share with fans and entertain folks. They take pride in that work, and to see them recognized for it is fantastic.

When we were talking about what's coming next and what fans might expect, Krista said that the best thing to do is keep an eye on their social feeds. She also encouraged everyone to comment, send messages, get in tough however with their questions or requests or comments. They love to see it. They truly love to be part of the Canadian country music community. And social media allows them to really showcase how great they are with those tools in this time when it's kind of all we've got.

So, check 'em out on Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube for all the latest and what's coming next!

Near the end of. our call, I asked Krista is the band has anything special planned for the CCMAs, or if there was anything new on the way soon - and she smiled and gave me the kind of yes that means, "I can't tell you, stay tuned". I've heard it before, and I'll hear it again, and I love it because it means there is something coming, and sometimes it's nice to sit back and wait for the surprise.

Before we go, in case you missed it, hit play on our round of 5 Quick Questions from earlier this year, recorded in the back room at Steve's Music Store on Queen St. W in Toronto.