The SiriusXM Top of the Country contest is back for 2020, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association, and with a big break available to one of eight very talented semi-finalists.
The winner of the 2020 Top of the Country contest will join Matt Lang (2019) and Andrew Hyatt (2018) on the winners list and will receive a $25,000 prize with the opportunity to perform at Country Music Week 2020 and 2021 with the CCMA. It's a big prize for any artist looking to move forward in their career and make a splash.
As semi-finalists, all eight of these artists will have the chance to perform in front of live crowds through the contest, will fly to Nashville with SOCAN for a week-long songwriting trip, and will have a professionally shot video of their SiriusXM Top of the Country audition song.
This year, the eight semi-finalists represent six provinces, have varied experiences in their career, but are all looking to push forward and show Canada that they have what it takes to be recognized as tops. We're fortunate to be familiar with many of the semi-finalists already, through their live performances and interviews and news we've seen over the years.
Now, give a scroll and meet the 2020 SiriusXM Top of the Country semi-finalists with some info, notes, and a song from each of them.
SiriusXM Top of the Country 2020 Semi-Finalists!
Brittany Kennell
You may know the Quebec native from her time on The Voice, but that's not the only thing she's accomplished in her career so far.
She's got a writing and performance resume that includes Maren Morris, Tenille Townes, Carly Pearce, The Reklaws, Charlie Worsham, Natalie Hemby, and more. She's performed for the Montreal Canadiens, the Grand Prix F1, and the Montreal Impact as well. And, you can't overlook her time studying music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
She's talented, and in a recent round of 5 Quick Questions, Manny Blu named her as an artist he thinks we should all be listening to. Why not start now?
Carolina East
Folks in Newfoundland and Labrador know Carolina East and her talent, and now it's time for the rest of Canada to find out what this powerful singer has got to share.
A Country Album of the Year nominee at the 2018 and 2019 Indigenous Music Awards, East has been building momentum and that kept going with her 2020 win as Country Artist of the Year at the Music NL Awards.
Give a listen to Carolina East sing and you'll know why she's been celebrated as she is so far in her career and why it's time for more of us to know her name, her voice, and her talent.
Hit play to listen to Carolina East's The Fool Who Loves You now.
Don Amero
Don Amero is the only returning semi-finalist from the 2019 SiriusXM Top of the Country contest, and it's great to see him back on the list.
The Winnipeg artist continues to put out great music as he works
As a Juno and Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award nominee, Don Amero has shown the industry that he's got chops - and with more songs like Morning Coffee and Music Lover, he's going to make sure that country music fans in Canada know it too.
Hit play to watch the video for Amero's March 2020 release, Morning Coffee.
Kalsey Kulyk
Kalsey Kulyk's singing career started with childhood talent shows and has grown to a spot as a semi-finalist in the 2020 SiriusXM Top of the Country contest. The Saskatchewan singer's self-titled debut album in August 2019 - and her new song, Fighter was released just a few weeks ago.
Away from the stage, Kalsey Kulyk is a success story as well, beating a high school diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma with the last 10 years in remission!
Kalsey recently posted on Facebook that even more new music is on the way... so stay tuned!
Kelly Presscott
Kelly Prescott has got music in her blood. The third-generation singer-songwriter grew up with the business all around her and a song to sing. And with the release of her latest EP, Love Wins, she's released the most personal music of her career to date.
We've had the chance to see Kelly perform at major festivals like Boots & Hearts and smaller venues like The Dakota Tavern and The Burdock. Her ability to connect with a crowd through a joke or two as well as a song that might rip your heart out is something to see.
Related: Love Wins, Kelly Prescott Interview & 5 Quick QuestionsListen to her newest single, Church now.
Nate Hall
Nate Hall's on his way to show us all what he's got to offer. A 2018 semi-finalist at the Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase, he's not new to the stage - and we know he's been pushing himself forward since then too.
Hall can also count Kira Isabella and The Reklaws as some of his biggest fans (and collaborators) and it's great to see him being recognized for his solo work after we've seen him in a supporting role over the last few years.
Believe us when we tell you that we're looking forward to new music from Nate Hall. And if you want a taste of some behind-the-scenes action in Nate's life - check out his Facebook page today.
Links: Facebook | Instagram
Raquel Cole
For most of a decade, Raquel Cole has been putting in work on her country music career with the likes of Diamond Rio, Carrie Underwood, and Josh Turner on the list of artists she's performed with and opened for.
We saw Raquel on stage at Boots & Hearts in 2016 and immediately flagged her as a Canadian artist we wanted to keep our eye on. So to see her as a semi-finalist in the 2020 SiriusXM Top of the Country contest is no surprise to us, and we're sure it's no surprise to many other people as well.
Related: Boots & Hearts 2016 Photo Review - Raquel ColeTyler Joe Miller
The first time we saw Tyler Joe Miller we were at the CCMA offices in the middle of December with a handful of industry folks and he made us pay attention. A year later we talked to Miller about the upcoming release of his debut single, Pillow Talkin' and as you may have seen - that song went all the way to #1 on the Canada Country National Airplay chart.
Keep an eye on this singer-songwriter, he's going to be one that's fun to watch.
Related: Tyler Joe Miller, Pillow Talkin', Q&A and 5 Quick QuestionsListen to Tyler Joe Miller's #1 single, Pillow Talkin' now.
Good luck to all of the semi-finalists. Stay tuned for more information, updates, and fun from the 2020 SiriusXM Top of the Country contest.
