Singer Elyse Saunders has known plenty of success already during her foray into world of country music.
She performs June 25 at 9:30 p.m. and June 26 at 4:30 p.m. in the Showdown Dance Hall during this year's Ponoka Stampede.
Saunders, the 2024 CMA Ontario Female Artist of the Year, is a multi-award-winning performer with more than five million global streams.
Her breakout single, Never Have I Ever, reached number 27 on Canada’s Country Billboard charts, and climbed to number six on Australia’s CountryTown National Airplay Charts, according to her online bio.
Her videos also receive consistent rotation on CMT Australia’s Across the Board, and have been spotlighted on CMT Nashville, reflecting her expanding global presence. And most recently, her latest single, the dreamy and melodic Mending Heart, is landing serious attention as well.
"I grew up being drawn to the arts in general, and with self-expression. I love the visual arts, dancing and singing, and I knew that was where I naturally fit in the world," she explained.
"I was also inspired by my mom early on - she was a hobby songwriter who loved music, and to write songs - and I thought that was so cool."
It wasn't long before she started writing her own songs, and entering singing competitions as well.
"I had vast inspiration from different styles of music early on. I loved all music - to me, a good song is a good song. So after I started getting into this singing competition circuit, we found out about an amazing writer Cyril Rawson - a hit songwriter and producer - a gem living in my hometown of Peterborough. So I started working with him."
He helped Saunders find her own voice, and also guided her along the path of finding what it takes to tell a story, she explained.
"That's where I made the decision I wanted to get into country music. He had said, 'You could do anything, but where is your heart?'
"I knew country music relates to my roots, to growing up in Peterborough, and from being on my grandparents' farm. I also love that you can be yourself with country music, and I've always loved the storytelling aspects of it, too."
She soon would make her way to Nashville, and find opportunities to work with a range of incredible musicians.
'I had to opportunity to open up for Deric Ruttan in my hometown. There were about 10,000 people at this hometown festival. It was just insane, because I had only performed a handful of shows at that point.
"It was so scary at the time, because I didn't know if I'd be able to do it. I did a lot of rehearsing, and gave myself a lot of pep talks. But when I got up there, I felt like there was a part of me that came alive.
"It blew my mind, and I just thought, this is incredible. I seemed to have touched a lot of hearts that day, because there was a line-up of people wanting to say hello. I thought that if I can could that, I could do anything," she added with a laugh.
From there, she started to divide her time more between home in Canada and Nashville.
"I'm living there now too, with the idea of being there more full-time and coming back here for summers for shows."
Clearly, it's been a remarkable journey. And looking back, it seemed, from early on, the natural and most fitting path to take.
Part of her appeal continues to stem from her gift for crafting such memorable songs.
"When I started, I would do it more like a diary - almost for myself. Then, I was able to improve on my ability to co-write with people I looked up to, and learning through them. I would take little pieces along the way.
"For me now, it's important I go into a session - on my own or in co-writing - with a title, a melody, and a story. i collect pieces of everything, and it can all happen at random times," she explained.
"Also, the amazing thing about country is that it is so real, and it's about real conversations. So you literally can take little pieces of a conversation about something going on with yourself, or with somebody else."
Really, it's about absorbing one's environment, she said.
"Every experience I go into, I try to take photographic memories of different things. I'm very visual when I'm writing. I start picturing how the story could look in real life, and that kind of inspires different things."
Looking ahead, there are few limits to where Saunders' music will take her - her creative vision and unique sensibilities will certainly see to that.
"From a young age, I would always look up to performers, and to people onstage, and to singers. I would think how that was what I wanted to do. But I didn't know how to do it, because my family didn't have a history of coming from the industry.
"I just knew that I loved it!"
For more information and for tickets, head to www.ponokastampede.com.
