Next Big Thing 2014

Update June 27:

Amy Nelson"€œTHE NEXT BIG THING"€ 2014 WINNER: AMY NELSON
The Finals show of Big Dog 92-7/Bell Media'€™s "€œThe Next Big Thing"€ country talent competition was held last night at Eldorado Country Rock Bar in Regina, with Amy Nelson (Regina), Blake Berglund (Kennedy), and Tenille Arts(Weyburn) each performing in the hopes of convincing an esteemed panel of judges that they should be selected as this year'€™s winner. Following impressive performances by the three artists, Amy Nelson was declared the winner.

Press release

3 Finalists

Promo

We are pleased to announce the Top 3 Finalists in the running for this year’s Next Big Thing competition. Congratulations to Amy Nelson, Blake Berglund, and Tenille Arts, who will be performing live on Thursday, June 26 for the general public and a panel of national music industry jurists.

In what is sure to be a very close competition, the most outstanding artist of the night will receive a grand prize package valued at over $15,000, along with the title of “Next Big Thing 2014.” The winner will secure a mainstage performance spot at the 2014 Craven Country Jamboree and additional opportunities. This year’s champion will join the impressive ranks of previous winners: WYATT (2009), Chris Henderson (2010), Jess Moskaluke (2011), Myshel Pajuaar and The Midnight Roses (2012), and Alex Runions (2013).

2014 Finalists (in alphabetical order):

Amy Nelson (Regina), www.amynelson.ca: Confident country-rock songstress, Amy Nelson is a force to be reckoned with and is often referred to as one of the hardest working independent artists in the Canadian country music scene. She released her debut album in 2008 and has been nominated for 18 SCMA awards, opened for many Canadian stars (George Canyon, Terri Clark, Aaron Pritchett, etc.) and performed at notable events including the Craven Country Jamboree, Calgary Stampede and many more. Amy’s sophomore album (due for a June 20, 2014 release) was produced by award-winning Saskatchewan producer Bart McKay. Her summer is busy with numerous upcoming performances, and in September she will be heading out on a radio tour of western Canada to promote her upcoming single.

Blake Berglund (Kennedy), www.blakeberglund.com: Raised in the Moose Mountains deep in Saskatchewan's south east corner, Blake Berglund took his early childhood responsibilities of tending to 200 head of horses as the education needed to base the musician's career around hard work. These efforts have earned him slots supporting the likes of Corb Lund, Jim Cuddy, Jason McCoy, The Sheepdogs, among many others around his consistent 100+ date yearly national tour schedule. Berglund has showcased at the 2012 Breakout West Festival and Canadian Country Music Awards, in 2013 at Canadian Music Week and JunoFest and in 2014 at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, MO. He won SCMA’s 2013 Saskatchewan Roots Artist of the Year with his fresh style of country music.

Tenille Arts (Weyburn), www.tenillearts.com: Tenille grew up singing in Weyburn and is now poised to make her mark. At 20, she has won countless regional vocal competitions and performed at Craven Country Jamboree, Casino Regina and Telemiracle. She was a finalist on the Idol-style talent show, Karaoke Star Junior (CMT/YTV/Corus Entertainment) and represented Saskatchewan in Canada's National Talent Competition in 2009 in PEI. A discovery of her music on YouTube has led to a team of industry elite forming around her, and she is now writing songs for her first album, due for release this year.

This year’s finalists were determined by a panel of music industry professionals.

THE NEXT BIG THING FINALS SHOW:
THURSDAY JUNE 26, 8:00 pm at Eldorado Country Rock Bar, Regina

Performances by Amy Nelson, Blake Berglund and Tenille Arts with special guest, 2013 Next Big Thing winner Alex Runions.

Everyone welcome, come cheer on these talented artists! Admission $10 at the door with a portion going to the Big Dog 92.7 Kid’s Fund.

Presented by Big Dog 92-7 / Bell Media. Produced by SaskMusic, www.saskmusic.org or call toll-free 1-800-347-0676.

10 Semi-finalists

THE NEXT BIG THING: TOP 10
BIG DOG 92-7’S COUNTRY TALENT SEARCH ANNOUNCES SEMI-FINALISTS

Playlist with the Top 10 Artists: Click to listen

Ten emerging country artists have been selected as semi-finalists in the 2014 version of The Next Big Thing, competing for a chance to take their careers to the next level and win a custom-tailored prize package valued at more than $15,000 – consisting of $10,000 cash PLUS options of their choosing, such as a professional single released to national radio, showcasing for music industry professionals, hands-on career guidance, and more.

Following a call for submissions that went out across Saskatchewan, artists submitted two original music tracks plus biographical and other information for consideration in the competition. From this year’s talented pool of artists, a panel of music industry professionals has determined that this year’s Top 10 artists are as follows.

The Top 3 finalists, to be announced on June 10, will perform in a showdown of their original music live for the public and a panel of music industry professionals in the Finals show on Thursday, June 26. An esteemed panel of Canadian music industry professionals is being brought in to adjudicate their performances and select the winner of this year’s Next Big Thing, to be announced that same evening.

THE FINALS SHOW
featuring the Top 3 finalists to be announced soon
PLUS guest artist, 2013 Next Big Thing winner Alex Runions
Thursday, JUNE 26 8pm
Eldorado Country Rock Bar
2300 Dewdney Avenue, Regina

Amy Nelson

Amy Nelson (Regina)
www.amynelson.ca

Confident country-rock songstress, Amy Nelson is a force to be reckoned with and is often referred to as one of the hardest working independent artists in the Canadian country music scene. She released her debut album in 2008 and has been nominated for 18 SCMA awards, opened for many Canadian stars (George Canyon, Terri Clark, Aaron Pritchett, etc.) and performed at notable events including the Craven Country Jamboree, Calgary Stampede and many more. Amy’s sophomore album (due for a June 20, 2014 release) was produced by award-winning Saskatchewan producer Bart McKay. Her summer is busy with numerous upcoming performances, and in September she will be heading out on a radio tour of western Canada to promote her upcoming single.

Blake Berglund

Blake Berglund (Kennedy)
www.blakeberglund.com

Raised in the Moose Mountains deep in Saskatchewan's south east corner, Blake Berglund took his early childhood responsibilities of tending to 200 head of horses as the education needed to base the musician's career around hard work. These efforts have earned him slots supporting the likes of Corb Lund, Jim Cuddy, Jason McCoy, The Sheepdogs, among many others around his consistent 100+ date yearly national tour schedule. Berglund has showcased at the 2012 Breakout West Festival and Canadian Country Music Awards, in 2013 at Canadian Music Week and JunoFest and in 2014 at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, MO. He won SCMA’s 2013 Saskatchewan Roots Artist of the Year with his fresh style of country music.

The Dead South

The Dead South (Regina)
www.thedeadsouth.com

The Dead South is a four-piece ensemble who blend elements of folk, bluegrass, classical, and rock all in a unique, modern and authentic blend of boot-stompin' acoustic music. The group has been hard at work since they formed, having played several notable shows including JunoFest 2013 and 2014, Grey Cup Festival 2013 opening for Serena Ryder, Montmartre All Folk'd Up Music Festival and Picker's Cup Festival. They released their debut EP in 2013 followed by their full-length album Good Company in April 2014. Their song “Honey You” garnered them a spot as a semi-finalist and regional Sask. winners of CBC Radio’s national Searchlight Competition.

Kelsey Fitch

Kelsey Fitch (Parkside)
www.kelsey-fitch.com

Kelsey grew up singing along to the radio, taking voice lessons, and participating in local talent competitions and musical productions. She placed in the Top 200 on "Canadian Idol" and has won both the 2006 Prince Albert Exhibition Youth Talent and 2008 GX94 Star Search competitions. She was nominated for Rising Star and Female Vocalist of the Year at the SCMAs and has performed at Telemiracle, Prince Albert’s Winter Festival, Casino Regina, Carlton Trail Jamboree, Craven Country Jamboree, and a private showcase at the Canadian Country Music Awards weekend in Saskatoon. With her seductive smokey alto, Kelsey is continuing to captivate audiences and plans to release her debut album, produced by Bart McKay, in summer 2014.

Photo: Erin Crooks

Mandy Ringdal

Mandy Ringdal (Outlook)
www.mandyringdal.com

Mandy’s distinctive voice and heart-felt lyrics paint the picture of the woman behind the song. A life-changing cancer diagnosis brought her back to music and prompted her to begin her artistic career nearly two years ago. She released her debut EP A Glimpse in 2013 and has since gone on to perform at Casino Regina, Craven Country Jamboree, Conexus Centre, the Songwriters Café at SCMAs, numerous fundraising events and more. In November 2013, Mandy was awarded a CMT video grant for her song “Alive at 25”. Mandy continues to write and is heading into the studio this summer to begin production of her next recording.

Scott Richmond

Scott Richmond (Regina)
www.scottrichmondmusic.com

Scott has spent the past decade working on his music all across Canada and the USA. He has won multiple music competitions and has studied and worked with award-winning musicians in Montreal, Nashville, Chicago, Asheville, and Medellin. Through his varied musical experiences, he creates a captivating and unique style of music. His 2014 emotionally charged debut album, Come What May, was recorded in Nashville and features several esteemed musicians including Colin Linden, Kris Wilkinson, and Kim Morrison.

Stephen Maguire

Stephen Maguire (Saskatoon)
www.stephenmaguirelive.com

Irish-born musician Stephen Maguire began his career in musicals, performing at leading venues in Northern Ireland, including the Grand Opera House, Lyric Theatre and Belfast Waterfront. He also appeared at the Manchester Apollo Theatre (England) and His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen (Scotland). He has been taking Canada by storm since 2007, playing alongside many of country music’s greats and appearing in numerous venues across North America. Stephen also has a strong presence in the community in planning and performing at various local charity events. In 2014 he was awarded Country Music Person of the Year and Humanitarian Award by the SCMAs.

Steve Gibson

Steve Gibson (Theodore)
www.stevegibsonguitar.com

Born in England, Steve began playing guitar at age six and by fifteen had achieved a distinction in Grade 7 Classical Guitar with Trinity College in London. He began writing music, passed his first year with Honours at the Newcastle Upon Tyne College for Music and Performing Arts, and formed his first band and began recording. But he had to abandon both his studies and his band when he immigrated to Canada with his family almost seven years ago. While here, he began listening to country music and has since released three original songs to radio and is currently working on a debut album, to be released soon. Steve has been featured in numerous publications and on the CMT Canada Website, and has received several SMCA awards.

Tenille Arts

Tenille Arts (Weyburn)
www.tenillearts.com

Tenille grew up singing in Weyburn and is now poised to make her mark. At 20, she has won countless regional vocal competitions and performed at Craven Country Jamboree, Casino Regina and Telemiracle. She was a finalist on the Idol-style talent show, Karaoke Star Junior (CMT/YTV/Corus Entertainment) and represented Saskatchewan in Canada's National Talent Competition in 2009 in PEI. A discovery of her music on YouTube has led to a team of industry elite forming around her, and she is now writing songs for her first album, due for release this year.

Val Halla

Val Halla (Regina)
www.valhallaonline.com

Val grew up surrounded by music, including a fiddle-playing father who played in Regina “rock ‘n roll bluegrass” band, Moonshine Molly. Val now calls Regina home after 10 years away living in both Vancouver and Nashville, and touring extensively across Canada and the United States. She has become known for her powerhouse voice and unique "Gruntry" take on country music, her “straight from the heart” songwriting, and her signature guitar licks on her Carparelli S3 and Bop Cat guitars. Now in the studio again, Val Halla is working on an album which will range stylistically from Patsy Cline and George Jones-influenced “old school” sounds, to more contemporary songs tinged with Tom Petty sing alongs, and Gretchen Wilson attitude.

The Next Big Thing ad

THE NEXT BIG THING
COUNTRY TALENT SEARCH FOR 2014 OPENS

Big Dog 92-7 Contest Returns for a Sixth Year with Grand Prize of $15,000+

Big Dog 92-7 is looking for country music artists who believe they could be The Next Big Thing to come from Saskatchewan. The winner of The Next Big Thing 2014 will be awarded cash, mentorship and career-building options, with a prize package valued at over $15,000!

Artists from solo to full bands in country and related genres (such as bluegrass and roots) are invited to submit an entry. A panel of music industry professionals will select the Top 10, who will be unveiled to the public at the beginning of June. From there, the Top 3 Finalists will be selected, and will perform in a live showdown on June 26 to determine who will be chosen as The Next Big Thing.

“We have amazingly talented country artists in this province, and we are looking forward to hearing from both established and emerging artists once again for this year’s competition. We are thrilled that our previous winners are enjoying continued momentum in their careers,” states project producer Lorena Kelly of SaskMusic. In addition to the useful $15,000 prize, the Next Big Thing will have additional opportunities – with recent years’ winners also receiving performances at Canadian Country Music Week, Queen City Ex, and Craven Country Jamboree mainstage. “It’s a great promotional tool, and a boost to an artist’s overall career,” Kelly continues. Previous Next Big Thing winners are Saskatoon’s WYATT (2009), Regina’s Chris Henderson (2010), Langenburg’s Jess Moskaluke (2011), Swift Current’s Myshel Pajuaar and The Midnight Roses (2012), and Regina’s Alex Runions (2013).

To make an entry, artists will provide two original songs in audio or video format, a photo, biography and other information to be evaluated by a panel of music industry professionals. See contest Rules and Regulations for full details, below.

Submissions will be received until May 2, 2014:

For more information please call 1-800-347-0676.

Presented by Big Dog 92-7/Bell Media. Produced by SaskMusic.

TO ENTER:

Please note, you must be a Saskatchewan resident, and at least 16 years of age as of June 26, 2014.

1) Review the Rules and Regulations (PDF)
2) Fill in the online entry form including all requested information, before midnight on May 2.

If you are selected as one of the 10 semi-finalists, you'll be notified by the end of May.

The Finals show, where the Top 3 Finalists will be performing live, is scheduled for Thursday, June 26 in Regina.

For more information please contact Lorena Kelly, SaskMusic, 1-800-347-0676 or email lorenakelly@saskmusic.org.