could have signed with others, but they would want to try and mould me into somebody that I didn’t want to be. I’m very grateful that I got to make my own mistakes and discover who I am as a human. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to know what my brand was and what I wanted to represent as an artist which is important. Some artists are signed young or inexperienced and they become a puppet. Well, what I mean is that they have little to no control and are just doing what they’re told to do, and while that doesn’t mean it’s wrong or it’s not what they want as an artist, it just wasn’t what I wanted to do or be part of my journey. I think it’s important to be true to yourself and put music out that is true to who you are, that you can sing for the rest of your life. For me, getting a record deal now means so much more because I’ve worked so hard to get here. RECORDS was the best team for me, hands down. They’re small but they’re still under Sony Nashville. My marketing team is out of New York City. It’s a massive team but it feels small and intimate – I can chat with them all. It’s not like I’m one of 50 artists on a massive major label. It’s cool to have the support and expertise of this team – I’m not trying to do it all anymore so I can focus on creating music and being creative. SoB: Congratulations, again, on the record deal. Fun fact time: What was the first festival you ever attended as a fan? AW: I think it was The Rolling Stones in Halifax at Citadel Hill with The Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace. I remember going there with friends and their mom. It was this massive rock show, and we of course wanted to be in the front row for the show. It was so wild, but it came at a price as I remember getting peed on numerous times because the guys behind us didn’t want to lose their spots! I also got to experience crowding which was another first. SoB: And what about your first festival as a performer? AW: Cavendish! When I was playing on the side stages there that first time. I mean, I had done other
“It was hard back then to always hear “no” but it’s also so cool to have gone from that experience to where I am now.” And, you know, these days Spotify and Apple Music are huge. Getting those opportunities, getting on the radio stations, that’s the equivalent of getting on someone’s playlist and people are automatically listening to those playlists every day. A really cool moment for me was when Spotify put me on a billboard in downtown Toronto. When I first moved to Toronto, I got a job at Jack Astor’s and there were all these billboards in that area around Dundas Square and I said, “I’m going to be on that billboard for music one day.” I didn’t know it was going to take 13 years to get there, but Spotify put me on that exact billboard in front of my first job in Toronto. It was such a cool moment for me to have support from such a big company. SoB: Talking about moments, tell me about going from being an independent artist to signing a record deal in Nashville. AW : I’ve been an independent artist for 15 years and I look back with so much gratitude that I waited, that I’d been patient to sign on with the right team because I
18 SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 24 ISSUE 2
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