Every song has a story.
Country music artists took the stage Saturday night at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer for the 2017 Songwriter Series. At the show a handful of singers told the stories behind the tunes they’ve written.
Some of the stories shared at the event were about personal struggle, the frustration after a break-up and even just spending a night on the town.
Kym Simon, born and raised in Stettler, was one of the performers at the Songwriter Series, which was just one night before the Alberta Country Music Awards.
Artists don’t always get to share these kinds of stories, said Simon, a Female Singer of the Year nominee.
“People do wonder, ‘How in the world did you come up with that (song)?’ We like telling those stories and it’s really neat to see people’s reactions in the crowd,” Simon said.
READ MORE: Full list of Alberta Country Music Awards nominees
Simon played three songs at the Songwriter Series; Easy Way Out, which is about married couples fighting, Ladies Night Out, which is about taking a much needed night out, and You Got This, which is about believing in yourself and knowing others support you.
Joining Simon on stage were Red Deer’s Ryan Langlois, who’s nominated for Best Male Artist and Album of the Year, and Innisfail’s Devin Cooper.
“It’s very cool to see the different range of artistic stuff going on.
“I love the other artists and we’re all in this together. It’s just great to see them grow through the years because we’ve all been going at the same time,” said Simon.
Billie Hanson, Association of Country Music in Alberta interim executive director, said knowing the story behind a song makes that song better.
“With this event you get to know what state the artists were in when they were writing and you get to feel that emotion they felt when they were writing,” said Hanson.
The people who came to the show loved hearing the stories, Hanson said.
“It’s a great way for the artists to connect with the fans on a different level. This way it isn’t just, ‘I’m the artist and you’re the fan.’ They’re kind of on the same level with this,” she said.
The Alberta Country Music Awards begin at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Sheraton. There will be a Fan Fest at Parkland Mall at 1:30 p.m.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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A handful of artists performed at the Songwriter Series at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer Saturday night, just one night before the Alberta Country Music Awards. (Photo by SEAN MCINTOSH/Advocate staff)
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