Tenille Townes was the big winner of the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards, including “Female Artist of the Year.” She chatted about her music, acting debut, and latest projects.
Multiple CCMA winner
This year marked Townes’ fourth consecutive CCMA “Female Artist of the Year.” “That was insane,” she admitted. “The CCMAs in general were crazy. It was so fun to celebrate a great year. It was so awesome to get to share that with my family in Alberta. It was such a special night. I loved playing the show and co-hosting it. I just loved it.”
“The fact that people have listened to these songs and they have made their way into people’s lives is really awesome. That’s the reason why we do what we do, especially when the music has found a way into their lives,” she added.
“For me, the storytelling aspect of music is the most important thing,” she acknowledged. “Songwriters are a part of telling the story of human existence in a tapestry of all of our experiences.”
Townes had great words about Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Michelle Wright. “Michelle is just the queen, she’s the ‘Fairy Godmother’ to all of us in country music. I love her so much,” Townes said.
She revealed that she is also a huge fan of Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Patricia Conroy. “Carolyn is one of my favorite songwriters and human beings, she took me under her wings in so many ways,” she said. “Patricia is a legend, she is such an incredible songwriter. She is still writing songs that are blowing people’s minds,” Townes added.
Her single “The Last Time” deals with the universal feeling of sadness one gets after the realization of an occurrence in one’s life that happened for the last time.
Dream duet choices
Townes listed Brett Kissel, Nate Haller, Eric Church, and Chris Stapleton as her dream male collaboration choices in music. “I am such a huge fan of Brett Kissel, he is somebody that I’ve grown up with. Brett is so kind, he remembers everyone’s name, and he is so generous. I am also a huge fan of Nate Haller’s voice,” she said.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Townes said, “A season of searching, in a good way.” ‘I feel very inspired and lit up about the next chapter of music I am working on,” she said. “I am writing some things in between being out on the road.”
Regarding her career-defining moments, Townes said, “My grandparent’s bought me my first guitar when I was 14 years old and I fell in love with the songwriting process. That was so pivotal for me. My very first tour was playing for Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. That was such a dream.”
“Also, playing the Grand Ole Opry for the first time was so special for me, and sharing that moment with everybody that came in from Alberta was insane, that was the biggest hometown hug I could have ever imagined,” she said.
Acting debut
Townes made her acting debut in the Hallmark mystery film “Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas,” where Blake Shelton served as executive producer. “That was a dream to be a part of,” she said. “I grew up watching all of the Hallmark movies with my mom so that was a full-circle moment. That was the first time I got to do anything like that.”
“Tyler Hynes was so kind. I was so nervous being on set but he has such a kind spirit. Everyone was wonderful, it was a great experience all around. Having Blake as an executive producer was amazing,” she added.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Townes said, “Success means making people feel something real, being in the moment, and sharing that space with everybody. I feel really happy to be in this spot in the journey.”
Her single “The Last Time” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Tenille Townes, follow her on Instagram and visit her website.
