Country music singer/songwriter says hometown of Orillia holds special place in her heart

Parker Graye has always loved performing and has been pursuing her dream of becoming a musician since she was a little girl.

The 33-year-old Orillia woman started her career in pop music but realized country music was a perfect fit after a Billboard-charting producer in Vancouver approached her and suggested the shift.

"That kind of changed everything. Then it wasn't until 2019 I went down to Nashville and produced 'Do Over,' which was the debut single, and 'Before you Leave,' which was the second single, and the rest has been history," she said.

Her latest single, 'Good at Getting Gone' passed one million streams across Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.

"It's Bananas. I can't even wrap my head around the concept that people have listened to my songs that much," Graye said.

She was recently featured on the cover of Apple Music's Canada Country playlist.

She writes all of her music herself, drawing inspiration from her personal experiences.

"I don't think there's anything more genuine than just pulling from your own stuff, which is probably relevant to somebody in the world," she said.

Graye splits her time between Vancouver, working as a marketing consultant, and Nashville, recording music.

Her goal is to find a record label and move to Nashville full-time.

However, she said she'll never forget her Sunshine City hometown and has even written a song about it.

"It's got this place in my heart that I can't shake," Graye said. "There's something so special about that place."

The country singer-songwriter has plans for the future, including more concerts, with hopes of hitting the stage at her dream venue, Boots and Hearts at Burl's Creek in Oro-Medonte.