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.

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"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.