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country singer female onstage with blue tint and general store sign in background
country singer female onstage with blue tint and general store sign in background
Photo by Raúl Nájera from Unsplash
U Vic | Life

Canadian Country Artists On The Rise

Paige Peters Student Contributor, University of Victoria
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Vic chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Lately I’ve noticed that my playlists have been slowly taken over by Canadian musicians, specifically country artists. With summer coming up soon, what better time to sit around a fire, drive with the windows down, or cruise on a boat while blasting some good old country music? That being said, here are some artists to keep an eye out for and maybe add to a playlist or two.

Cameron Whitcomb appeared on American Idol at the age of 18 and made it to the top 20 in 2022. Having seen him live in Victoria last June, he’s truly a ball of energy with phenomenal talent and a natural performer. Whitcomb earned his spot on American Idol by posting karaoke videos on Reddit while working on the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Since then, he has been open about his struggles with getting clean, with songs like “Option,” “Quitter,” and “Medusa” reflecting that within the lyrics. He manages to create vivid narratives through emotional honesty.

Noeline Hofmann first appeared on my TikTok For You Page only to then appear just a few months later on a song with Zach Bryan: “Purple Gas.” Hofmann released a solo version of the song, which blends bittersweet melodies with gritty authenticity. She appeared on Holler Country’s list of 24 New Country and Americana Artists for 2024. At 20 years old, Hofmann is an artist who can only go up.

Mark Ledlin came on my radar when I attended the Country Club Fest in Vancouver last summer. The Vancouver native first gained attention when appearing on The Voice of Germany in 2020 after hanging up his hockey skates, having played 300 professional games in Europe. Fun fact: his Elite Prospects page still exists. He is another one to keep an eye on as he is slowly releasing more singles.  

Jade Eagleson’s single, “Rodeo Queen,” was on my playlist almost as soon as it came out in 2023. I was sold on the opening instrumentals and lyrics that have an Alan Jackson and George Strait feel to them, along with a country twang of course. He is a five-time Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) award winner and Juno award nominee. Eagleson’s third studio album, Do It Anyway, received nominations at both the CCMA Awards and Juno Awards in 2024. 

Owen Riegling first caught my attention midway through 2024 with his single “Moonshines.” I was hooked immediately by Riegling’s storytelling and rock aspects within the song. He also won CCMA’s Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year award in 2024. He mixes country with rock to create new sounds and tells stories throughout his lyrics. 

There are so many other artists that are phenomenal: Josh Ross, Teigen Gayse, Zach McPhee, Kalsey Kulyk, Riley Taylor, and Mackenzie Porter, just to name a few. 

Of course, an honourable mention goes out to Goldie Boutilier who a fellow chapter member has written about and is another phenomenal musician to listen to! And we can’t forget about Shania Twain; she may not be new, but she is a Canadian country classic. Spotify put them all together in a playlist called “North Country” featuring countless Canadian musicians. If you want to take a listen to all of the artists above, then check out this playlist below:

Paige Peters

U Vic '26

Paige has been with Her Campus since September of 2022 as both a writer and editor before deciding to take on a larger role as Chapter Leader for one year. As a former Campus Correspondents at the Her Campus at UVic chapter, Paige published content, managed the executive team, oversaw retention and recruitment, and hosted meetings, now she is back to simply writing and editing, what she truly enjoys.

She has done media for a non-profit as well as collabing with local newspapers to promote the festival that the non-profit ran.

As a fourth-year writing major at UVic, Paige is minoring in journalism with a focus in creative nonfiction. She received a scholarship for a short story she wrote in 2020. She has also received various academic scholarships for her grades. She hopes to go into either publishing/editing or working for a newspaper/magazine somewhere in Europe one day, ideally in the world of Formula One.

In her free time, Paige watches and keeps up with the Formula One world. She also enjoys reading a good book, bingeing one of her favourite TV shows such as Criminal Minds, and visiting bookstores.