The Canadian Country Music Association® (CCMA®) is pleased to announce the top six finalists for the 2016 CCMA Discovery Program. The finalists are: Tenille Arts (Saskatchewan), DaniElle (British Columbia), Eric Ethridge (Ontario), Livy Jeanne (Alberta), Runaway Angel (Ontario), and TwoShine County (Alberta). Now in its fourth year, the national initiative was created to educate and support Canadian country music artists in their pursuit of a career in the music industry.
“We truly believe the CCMA Discovery Program offers an unparalleled experience to anything else in the country music genre,” said Don Green, President of the Canadian Country Music Association. “Our current CCMA members have embraced and invested in this program alongside us, knowing that the contributions we make now to developing acts will only benefit us in the future. The strong sense of community surrounding Canadian country music is just one of many aspects of the industry our finalists will quickly come to learn through this program.”
The 2016 CCMA Discovery Program finalists will come together in Toronto for Music Industry Discovery Week, April 24 – 29. During this intensive week they will learn about the music business and artist development through industry-led panels and seminars, live performance and vocal training, media coaching and professional styling, and more. The week culminates with an exclusive industry-only showcase.
Each finalist will also be paired with an established Canadian country artist for a mentorship program which will take place during the summer months. Finally, during Country Music Week 2016 in London, taking place from September 8 to 11, the finalists will perform at a public CCMA Discovery Showcase on Thursday, September 8 (tickets on sale soon). An industry-led jury will select the winner of the 2016 CCMA Discovery Award as part of the event.
The CCMA Discovery Award winner will receive a CMT One Shot video shoot compliments of CMT Canada, SOCAN support via a week’s worth of accommodations at Nashville House, production and recording courtesy of Barrytone Studios, cash prizing from Stingray, industry-related prizing supplied by Strut Entertainment, and more.
Past CCMA Discovery Award winners include Wes Mack (2013), The Lovelocks (2014) and Raquel Cole (2015).
More information on the 2016 CCMA Discovery Program finalists:
Tenille Arts (Weyburn, Saskatchewan)
Tenille Arts has made her mark in the country music industry by representing Saskatchewan in the 2015 CCMA Spotlight Performance Contest, performing in the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase and having her first single reach #6 on the Country iTunes Chart. Currently living in Nashville, TN, Tenille has big plans for 2016!
DaniElle (Pitt Meadows, British Columbia)
Born and raised in the small town of Pitt Meadows, British Columbia on her family farm, makes singing country music an obvious choice for DaniElle. Her natural songwriting and performance abilities won her the grand prize of $10,000 in the Chevy Tailgate Contest hosted by CMT Canada this past year. She is currently working on her debut EP with Dan Swinimer (Madeline Merlo, JoJo Mason). DaniElle has a fresh and compelling approach to country music with a down home feel that you’ll love.
Eric Ethridge (Sarnia, Ontario)
In 2015, Eric Ethridge’s career began to build serious momentum with a collection of standout moments. He released a series of orchestral country-pop music videos, including his own version of Andy Grammer’s “Honey, I’m Good”, which garnered him a mention in Rolling Stone magazine. He was a runner up in both the Boots and Hearts and Music in the Fields Emerging Artists Showcases. This past fall, Eric signed to United Talent Agency.
Livy Jeanne (Androssan, Alberta)
In 2015, Livy Jeanne released her debut album, Dashboard Renegade, which features the infectious chart-topper, “All Kinds Of Crazy”. At just 20 years old, Livy has worked with some of Nashville’s greatest songwriters and has been nominated for numerous awards, including the 2015 Edmonton Music Award for Female Artist of the Year. She is the recipient of 5 NACMAI Awards and is the 2014 Edmonton Music Awards Rising Star winner.
Runaway Angel (Toronto, Ontario)
Only two years into their journey, Runaway Angel is flying high. Nominated for 4 CMAO Awards in 2015, Cadence, Ann and Stacey have rocked major stages like Boots & Hearts, and Lucknow’s Music In The Fields. Recently highlighted in the Toronto Star as one of six GTA bands ready to breakthrough, their debut EP drops spring 2016.
TwoShine County (Calgary, Alberta)
Calgary-based duo TwoShine County are singer/songwriters Daron Schofield and Dennis Hann. They debuted in 2014 and have released three singles to date which showcase the duo’s natural vocal harmony and high-powered guitar riffs. TwoShine County have completed two coast-to-coast radio tours and were featured as part of the Country Music Week 2015 CCMA Songwriters Series.
