Orillia native looks for hometown support to propel her to next big break
A singer with deep roots in the Sunshine City hopes some hometown support can help propel her to her next big break.
Parker Graye has made it to the Top 8 of SiriusXM Canada's Top of the Country competition in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Awards. The Orillia native has tried to make it into the contest in years past but has never been accepted until 2024.
"Being independent, it's like you don't get the same exposure the way you would if you were on, say, even a smaller boutique label or a major label," Graye said.
"Having the opportunity to be collaborating with SiriusXM Canada in the way that we have where our songs are being played on top of the country [charts] as well as the industry is getting to see us kind of on a higher stage; it's amazing."
Graye now lives in Nashville and is working towards advancing her career. Last summer, she was back home, securing a spot in the 2023 Boots & Hearts Music Festival, performing right in her own backyard.
As part of the Top 8 of this most recent competition, she was flown to Toronto to create a video for her chosen song. She selected her latest single, 'Lyin' to Me'.
"I've released a ton of singles before that but I was really wanting to release a project and a collection of songs that truly just embody all of the things that I've been kind of working on since I started in 2016."
She says she has multiple releases planned over the coming year.
If she makes it to the top three, she'll be one step closer to the grand prize of $25,000 as well as a performance at the CCMA Country Music Week.
To vote for Graye you can click here. The deadline is April 9 at 11:59 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders push back on 'misguided criticism' of grocer as boycott begins
Loblaw's new chief executive, as well as chairman Galen Weston, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a push to boycott the company gains steam online.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.