Makayla Charleen, is a country singer and songwriter, who brings her western and honky-tonk stories to life with vibrant vocals and dynamic performances.

She has made her mark on the stages of regional and interprovincial festivals, leaving a lasting impression at well-known events like the Monashee Music Festival in British Columbia and the Cochrane Classic Bull Riding Event in Alberta. She has opened for artists like Aaron Pritchett and toured with Canadian country acts such as the Hillside Outlaws. Now based in the heart of the Okanagan, Makayla regularly performs at local venues, where she gets to perform and try out new original music to a crowd.

Makayla has built a loyal following on social media. From her early days of considering a music career to sharing her festival adventures, she continues to engage and grow her fan base.

When writing her first single, “Old Fashioned,” she wanted to create a fun, light-hearted song that you can dance to at the bar. She explains, “The joke behind the song is, I like my old-fashioned drinks, but I like old-fashioned cowboys who will take you for a dance and open the door for you. It’s meant to be a lovey-dovey country song that makes you want to honky-tonk it up.”

“Old Fashioned” was a learning curve for her, teaching her the whole process of writing, producing, and marketing a song.

On June 28th, Makayla released her newest single, “The Devil On My Shoulder,” with another release planned for the end of the summer. “The Devil On My Shoulder” was written by three Nashville-based artists, and Makayla connected with it instantly. It’s about being a hopeless romantic and that thing about a cowboy that makes you want to instantly fall in love.

Makayla is also very busy with local shows and festivals, continuing to bring her unique sound to audiences everywhere.

Head to her website at https://makaylacharleenmusic.com/shows for a list of upcoming shows and make sure to listen to “Old Fashioned” and “The Devil On My Shoulder.”

Nelson Little, a notable name in country music, gained significant recognition by winning the Roots Artist of the Year at the 2023 Manitoba Country Music Awards. His commitment to his music and distinctive style have made him a favourite among both peers and fans. Nelson’s music, rich with storytelling, engages listeners with its heartfelt lyrics and soulful tunes.

As he continues to receive praise, his future performances are set to highlight his talent and further establish his reputation in country music. Having written songs for 20 years, Nelson often draws inspiration from his personal experiences.

Nelson Little’s new single, “Just Make It Happen,” was inspired by a conversation with his real estate agent while contemplating a move to a larger home. The agent’s advice to “just make it happen” sparked the idea for the song. Nelson collaborated with Dave Rogers to write the track over the next few weeks. The song’s message encourages listeners to pursue their dreams with determination.

The single has received an enthusiastic response on social media and is gaining a wider audience.

On May 24, Nelson Little won Dauphin’s Countryfest Battle of the Bands, which got him a $5000 recording package with River City Records and a performance spot at Dauphin’s Countryfest June 30, 2024.

Looking ahead, Nelson plans to release a new song this summer titled “Hoodie,” which he has already begun performing live. For the first time, he aims to release three songs in a single year.

Nelson has a busy summer ahead with numerous shows lined up. For more details on his upcoming performances, visit his website at nelsonlittlemusic.com.

Carson Janik, a country singer-songwriter hailing from Tecumseh, Ontario, found his inspiration to dive into country music through Luke Combs’ hit “One Number Away.”

Janik, who wrote his first song about six years ago, writes both from personal experiences and fictional stories. His creative process often begins with the music, then he crafts the lyrics. This method has created a substantial catalog of songs for him.

Recently, Janik released his debut EP, Neon to Lean On. After signing his record deal, he was introduced to an array of songs from his producer, which was a new experience for him. Among these were tracks written by renowned artists, making the selection process challenging.

One standout track for Janik is “Fast,” which has a distinctive rock tone, a rare sound in country music. Over the past year, he has tested these songs at live shows, using audience reactions to refine his selections.

This summer, Janik will bring Neon to Lean On to life at various festivals, performing almost every weekend until October. One of his aspirations is to release a full album in the future.

Be sure to listen to Neon to Lean On and stay updated on Carson Janik’s upcoming shows so you can see him live!

Mitchell Makoons, a Roots/Rock musician hailing from Brandon, Manitoba, began his musical journey at the age of seven, playing guitar to accompany his grandfather and brother on Métis fiddle tunes. He remains an active member in the Manitoba Métis community. His songwriting blends traditional Ojibway music and culture with contemporary influences.

Mitchell has been pursuing music professionally for almost a decade and has toured extensively across Western Canada and is making his mark on the Canadian festival circuit. In 2023, he performed at several notable events, including Dauphin’s Countryfest, Ste. Madeline Métis Days, All Folk’d Up Music Festival, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

At the 2023 Manitoba Country Music Awards Mitchell was nominated for Roots Artist, Duo or Group of the Year and the Emerging Artist Award.

He recently released his debut album Lady Boots with eight tracks. He wanted to make an album that sounded like a country Phoebe Bridgers because she was a musical inspiration for him during the beginning stages of the album process.

The process of putting “Lady Boots” together started back in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions caused by the pandemic made it difficult to work and record the album.

Mitchell wrote every song on the album except for the “Travelling Song” which was gifted to him by an Elder in his community. Mitchell asked if he could make a modern version of the song and included it on the album!

“Courage” is a song that stands out to him on the album, especially when playing live because it sets a good tone and gets people ready for the show.

Mitchell is planning to go on the road in the fall to play these songs live and would love to stay on tour as long as possible.

Make sure to listen to Lady Boots and catch an upcoming show to see Mitchell Makoons play song from his new album live!

JR Charron, the talented local country/rock performer and songwriter hailing from Manitoba, has been making waves in the music scene. His single “Killin’ Frost,” released last summer, received great success from fans. Recently, JR celebrated a remarkable five nominations at the Manitoba Country Music Awards, including nods for ‘Song and Single of the Year,’ ‘Male Artist,’ ‘Interactive Artist,’ and ‘Fans’ Choice.’

He released a new single “Too Good To Leave” on April 19, which has which has quickly gained traction on Canadian country radio. The song is about past fun-loving relationships that tells the story of a couple who is stuck in a never-ending relationship and aren’t good for each other.

JR Charron writes most of the songs he releases including “Too Good To Leave” that he wrote with Max Dupas, Ben Hodges, and Dan Poperechny.

Charron also released a music video for “Too Good To Leave!” The video was a spur of the moment decision when a show got cancelled and some free time allowed for a music video to come together unexpectedly.

Charron is busy working on a lot of new music with a single coming out in time for summer and he should have a body of music in the fall or winter.

He is always prioritizing his music and making sure he releases the best music possible.

Charron has some upcoming shows this summer including Dauphin’s Countryfest on Saturday, June 29!

Make sure to listen to “Too Good To Leave” and watch the music video!

Mackenzie Porter is a Canadian born, Nashville based country music artist tallying 900 million global on-demand streams and counting.

Porter tied Shania Twain as the only other Canadian female in history to land three back-to-back #1 singles at Canadian country radio with “About You,” “These Days,” and latest “Seeing Other People.” Twain set the now-tied record in 1998.

She is also the first country female artist in this century to have six #1 singles in Canada and earned 22 CCMA nominations, including Entertainer of the Year.

On April 26, MacKenzie Porter released her highly anticipated 19-track debut album, Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart! The album culminates six years of writing and has a mix of country-pop and confessional singer/songwriter country sounds to it.

“I wanted the album to have more moments of honesty and vulnerability that might not be a radio singles but could tell a bigger story and speak to people,” she said.

Porter recently wrapped up her first headlining Canadian tour, which was such a fun and cool experience for her to test out some of these new songs on the album for fans and see their reactions.

MacKenzie recently had her musical debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show performing a song on her new album, “Pay Me Back In Change.”

You can also catch MacKenzie cohosting the 2024 CCMA Awards with Thomas Rhett.

“Thomas is hilarious and super sweet and I think we will be able to feed off of each other and put on a great show,” she said.

Make sure to listen to “Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart” and stay up-to-date on upcoming shows from MacKenzie Porter!

Nice Horse is a country music duo from Calgary, Alberta with members, Katie Rox and Brandi Sidoryk.

Brandi and Katie have been musical allies for the past 15 years supporting each other’s careers but started writing songs together and Nice Horse took off from there.

Their debut album Nice Horse is out now with seven tracks. The duo describe the album as a labour of love, which they wrote over a hundred songs for and put years of work into.

“We’re so proud to release our debut album as a duo. While we have been in the industry for many years we feel like we’ve finally written songs that speak to deeper parts of us as songwriters and performers and we can’t wait to see how fans react to this side of Nice Horse,” shared Brandi and Katie.

Since they had so many songs to choose from when putting the album together, they got to choose songs that really meant something to them.

The duo is hitting the road next month and are looking forward to performing these new songs. Fans can catch Nice Horse at Heartstrings & Honkytonks, Rodéo Ayer’s Cliff, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, and Quonset Days, with more show announcements to come! In August Nice Horse will fulfill a long-time dream when they step out on stage in support of Jo Dee Messina in Regina, SK. 

Check out Nice Horse’s tour dates and music here https://www.nicehorsemusic.com/!

Canadian country music group Petric composed of brothers, Jason Petric and Tom Petric and long-time friend Jordan Day, release their highly anticipated self-titled EP!

Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the band has accumulated over 15 million worldwide online streams, 12 charting singles, and 3 top 20 hits. 

They started recording the tracks on this EP a while back when they flew their producer into Winnipeg and recorded at the No Fun Club recording studio, which was an incredible experience for them!

“It’s been a long time coming to put out new music. We’ve done quite a few singles over the last few years but we wanted to put something out thats more in depth with a few more songs to it,” said Jason Petric.

The EP was released on Monday, April 15 and has already been very well received from fans. The band is looking forward to adding these songs to their setlist for upcoming shows.

A standout for Petric on the EP is their cover of “The Best” originally by Tina Turner. They put their own country/rock twist on it.

“Country music is known for songwriters and artists working together to create a finished product to put a fresh touch on a tune that everyone loves and we thought we’d give it a try,” said Jason Petric.

“The Best” hits Canadian country radio in about a week and has already Australian country radio as well!

The band is gearing up for festival season coming up and are eager to play these new songs. They will be hitting the stage at Country On The Bay in Thunder Bay, and Shake the Lake festival in Kenora, Ontario, which is run by Jason Petric himself!

Listen to Petric’s new self-titled EP now!