Voting has officially opened for the SiriusXM’s sixth annual Top of the Country Competition.
This year, the competition, which is done in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) features eight semi-finalists from five Canadian provinces, including Bonnyville native Robert Adam.
On Feb. 21, Lakeland This Week spoke with Adam, a mainstay on the Alberta country music scene for the past several years, who now calls Calgary home. At that time, Adam, who describes himself as “Calgary’s Dream Angel Cowboy,” was about to release his first full-length album and had recently released an EP with several of his own songs.
Known for breaking barriers, Adam also wrote an alternative country queer love song.
During that interview, Adam listed several country acts as inspiration for his own musical styles, including Brett Kissel, who is also originally from the Lakeland region, The Rankins, Anne Murray, Glen Campbell, Whitney Houston, as well as Kacey Musgraves, who he stated has always “created music that gave me hope that a queer person like myself has something valuable and important to say within the country music texture.”
The other semi-finalists for the competition are Alexa Goldie (Kingston, Ont.), Parker Graye (Orillia, Ont.), Zach McPhee (Vernon, BC.), Tony Stevens (Surrey, B.C.), Trudy (Montreal, QC), Mariya Stokes (Stavely, AB), and Jade Turner) Misipawistik Cree Nation, MB).
As part of the competition, each of the eight semi-finalists were given the opportunity to record original songs in studio, with live videos of the recording session posted online. Fans will vote for their favourite artist.
When Lakeland This Week spoke with Adam, he was preparing to fly to Vancouver to record a brand-new original song at The Warehouse Studio, which is owned by Canadian rock icon Bryan Adams.
Each artist has released a video of their studio recording available on topcountry.siriusxm.ca, where fans can cast their votes.
Michelle Mearns, VP of Programming and Operations, SiriusXM Canada, said the voting phase is a crucial moment where people can show their support for the rising stars who she believes embody the spirit of Canadian country music.
“The Top of the Country competition is a true celebration of Canadian talent, and we are delighted to invite music fans across Canada to be a part of it,” Mearns said. “Together, we can elevate these artists and showcase the talent that our country has to offer."
Once voting has closed, three finalists will be selected for opportunities to perform at events such as the CMA Fest in Nashville and the Lasso Festival in Montreal.
The finals for the contest take place during the week of the 2024 CCMA awards from Sept. 11-14. Voters, as well as a panel of judges, will decide the winner from three finalists.
While the winning act will be awarded $25,000, the two runners-up will each receive $10,000 to be put toward musical development.
