Voting has officially opened for Sirius XM Top of the Country Competition, with a Vernon musician in the running.
Zach McPhee, a former Vernon Viper and university hockey player, is one of eight semifinalists in the nation-wide competition, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA).
Voting opened on Tuesday, April 2, and will run until Tuesday, April 9.
Three finalists will be selected, and they will travel to Nashville for industry mentorship opportunities, before performing at the 2024 Country Music Awards Fest, and hitting the stage at Lasso Montréal in August.
The competition will culminate in Edmonton in September where the finalists will perform at the CCMA’s Country Music Week, before the winner of the $25,000 prize will be announced. The two runners up will also collect $10,000.
“The public vote provides a special opportunity for fans to participate in shaping the future of Canada’s country music scene,” said Amy Jeninga, CCMA president. “Each year we are amazed by the talent that emerges from this competition and this year is no exception. Fans are going to have a tough time deciding who will get their vote!”
The other seven semifinalists are:
- Robert Adam – Bonnyville, Alta.
- Alexa Goldie – Kingston, Ont.
- Parker Graye – Orillia, Ont.
- Tony Stevens – Surrey, B.C.
- Trudy – Montreal, Que.
- Mariya Stokes – Stavely, Alta.
- Jade Turner – Misipawistik Cree Nation, Manitoba.
McPhee released his debut single, Bring On, last year and has since put out a seven song album, Feels Country to Me. He has close to 13,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and has totalled six million streams across all platforms. His live studio session of the song, Remind Me Again, is up on the Sirius XM website.
The almost 31-year-old grew up in Vernon and played for the Vipers in the 2010-11 season. His hockey career took him to Everett, Kootenay (WHL) and the University of Regina for five seasons.
To vote, visit topcountry.siriusxm.ca.
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READ MORE: Former Vernon Viper a finalist in top country music competition