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
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
NEW Kim Kardashian brand kids' sleepwear and more: Here are some recalls to watch out for
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Is your password 123456? Here's why you should make it stronger
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
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.