A Windsor singer and songwriter is hoping to reach greater heights thanks to a national competition.
Kelsi Mayne, who grew up in Windsor and completed studies at the University of Windsor with a degree in nursing, has been given the chance to take her talent to a bigger stage, having reached the semifinals of the SiriusXM Top of the Country competition.
Mayne told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that while she wasn't sure how many performers entered the competition, she is only one in a handful of emerging country artists moving to the next stage.
"They ask people to submit a video, and then they choose the top eight semifinalists from all of Canada to be entered into this contest," said Mayne. "Essentially they're searching for the next big country star in Canada."
The Top of the Country competition, from SiriusXM satellite radio, is presented in conjunction with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), which hands out the annual CCMA Awards. Semifinalists are voted on, with the top three vote-getters moving on to the finals. The contest is only in its second year of existence, with last year's winner Andrew Hyatt, putting together his own career on the Canadian country music stage.
Mayne, a self-proclaimed "shower singer" who spent several years developing and perfecting her craft, said winning this year's contest would be beyond her wildest dreams.
"I can't even fathom what it would do for my career," said Mayne. "I am actually the only independent artist in the group, so for me, it would leaps and bounds."
If Mayne advances to the finals, she will have an opportunity to perform at one of the leading country music festivals in Canada, travel to Toronto for a week to participate in a mentorship session with veteran country artists, vocal coaches and music industry insiders, and head to Nashville where she will learn the mechanics of songwriting.
During Country Music Week this September in Calgary, leading up to the CCMA Awards, the three finalists will compete before a headlining artist in the Top of the Country Finale, with the winner emerging from that event.
Country music fans can vote for their favourite artist once per day from any device from now until May 17. Mayne's semifinal profile is available at the official Top of the Country website.
