Tenille Townes Wins the CCMA – An Inspiring Story of Alberta Country
By Laine Shepley, Contributor
This summer I had the opportunity to work for Corus Entertainment where I was offered the chance to see the Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs). As a country music fan myself, I was excited to go to this event. Seriously, I was raving about this event to all of my friends for days. I love the energy that surrounds Canadian country music.
Unlike the American country music scene that has a tendency to be surrounded by politics and negativity, Canadian country has its own unique culture that is rooted in pride, support and love. I was looking forward to being in a room surrounded by people that not only loved these Canadian artists, but fully supported them.
Canadian artists are often overshadowed compared to American counterparts, especially in the country music scene. There are multiple Canadian country artists that are extremely talented, for example, Paul Brandt, Dean Brody, Brett Kissel, etc. Yet the majority of people can only name Shania Twain. I really believe in supporting local artists, especially those from our home province that is so heavily influenced by country music.
The lineup for this years’ CCMAs is proof that Canadian artists are starting to break the mold as many performers such as High Valley, Dallas Smith, etc, are household names across both Canada and the U.S.
Although I was most excited to see Tenille Townes, Jade Eagleson was on my list of performers to see as well. With his hit songs like “Got Your Name On It” and “She Don’t Know,” I was expecting him to take home an award this year, however, I may be a little biased as my love for him goes a little farther than just his music. Unfortunately, he was overshadowed by other artists this year, but I still think his performance beat out the majority.
Tenille Townes, on the other hand, is on her way to breaking this barrier as she got her start in Nashville, Tennessee and is played across both Canadian and American radio stations.
Although I was excited to see legends such as 98 Degrees and High Valley, my most pleasant surprise was witnessing a new legend in the making after seeing Tenille Townes perform.
Tenille Townes has been making waves in the Canadian Country music industry lately. Seen as Alberta’s sweetheart, not only was her performance of “Girl Who Didn’t Care” inspiring, she was also one of the most successful Canadian Country Music Awards winners this year. Townes has been turning heads in the music industry with her raw lyrics, catchy melodies and bluesy guitar.
Townes’ fans know that she’s a humble celebrity, but that didn’t stop her from walking onto the CCMA stage in a powerful dark sequin romper that would have everyone turning their heads. The crowd erupted with pride and love whenever Townes took the stage. It was apparent that their support goes further than just her music and her fans are definitely supportive of her personality as the audience was ecstatic to even hear her speak.
Seeing Townes take the stage with grace, beauty and modesty reminded me of a young Shania Twain. Her ability to captivate an audience with just her words is similar to the impact that Twain has fostered across her fans. Townes is a genuine Canadian country artist that seems to not only enthrall her audience with her voice, but also with her motivating words. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Townes take the stage at the Grammy awards in a couple of years.
Townes can be seen as an inspiration to any young Canadian country artist trying to break into the industry. . It is well known that Townes made her successful career out of hard work and dedication that hasn’t faltered yet. She is an artist that young Canadian girls will look up to for generations, just like Twain. Townes’ authenticity, originality and genuine love for country music will keep pushing her far in this industry and will continue to motivate more aspiring country artists.
Townes is a personable artist that’s no stranger to getting personal with her fans via social media. She‘s known for posting about everything from new songs to what she did that day or what she likes to eat.
She is also deeply connected to her roots in the province of Alberta, where she grew up in Grand Prairie. Not only is she known for being true to herself, she is one of the most authentic artists out there to-date.
Using TikTok as her main medium to talk to her fans, she posted a heartfelt video the day after the CCMAs with a caption explaining how the nine-year-old version of herself would be ‘freaking out’ that her wildest dreams have finally come true of being successful in the Canadian country music scene.
She has mentioned many times about how thankful she is for all of her success. Townes understands that it takes a lot of hard work to get where she is today and is grateful for everything she has been given in life – even when everything was not going her way.
Although she has already previously won several awards on her path to fame, 14 CCMA awards to be exact – Townes proves that she is a consistent winner at the CCMAs as she took home multiple awards this year. Townes left the award show with songwriter of the year, singer of the year and album of the year.
Topping her achievements off with a beautiful speech that captivated the audience from start to finish. Through many heartfelt words Townes’ is quoted saying that she has “never, ever, felt the love that she has from the fans and the country music community.”
