Mildmay Musician Owen Riegling said he is honoured to be recognized by the country music community.
Riegling stated he is unbelievably grateful to win his first Canadian Country Music official award as “Songwriter Of The Year.” He also took home "Breakthrough Artist of the Year."
In a Facebook post to fans, Riegling explained the origins of the song.
He said wrote Old Dirt Roads back in 2019 in his college apartment.
"I wasn’t writing a song that I thought would sound good on a radio station, and I sure as hell wasn’t writing a song that I thought would get me nominated for awards and reach the masses," he revealed. "I was writing a song about the place that I was raised in, the people I was raised with, and the things that put me close to home even when I’m far away from it."
Riegling added he's just a "dude from Mildmay" and still doesn't know how he has come so far.
His advice: Be you, write what you know, and enjoy every minute of it.
Riegling has just announced that he'll be headlining his first cross Canada tour, starting in November.