Is country music the same in Canada as it is here in the U.S.? Up and coming Canadian country duo, The Reklaws comprised of brother/sister pair, Jenna and Stuart Walker provide some insight into crossing over into U.S. country music. They also share their latest music, “Long Live The Night,” what’s on their playlist (#Zedd, #WaylonJennings), and their advice for aspiring artists.
1.) What 3 words describe your latest song, “Long Live The Night”?
Three words that describe our latest song, would have to be nostalgic, epic, and us! We think that Long Live the Night portrays who we are, we want everyone to be able to relate to the idea that living in the moment is how we should all be living our lives. Long Live the Night lives in those feelings, and we feel so excited to be able to share those moments with so many people.
2.) What artists do you look up to in both the U.S. and Canada?
Of course in everyones artistic careers, they are inspired by so many people! For us, it began with people like the Dixie Chicks and Johnny Cash, but as we grew, we were able to watch the careers of new country artists! People like Florida Georgia Line, the way that those two have carved their way through the country music scene and into the pop world has inspired us so much!
Canadian Artists have definitely inspired us growing up, our first tour was with the High Valley brothers, who took a chance on us! Also, the fact that they are siblings, and the way that they have continued to set the bar for Canadian/American artists only pushes us more!
3.) How is country music different in Canada vs. The U.S.?
We have always agreed that there is a difference between both the US and Canadian music, but Canadians are able to run with the best of the US, and that’s what’s exciting about the future! We are so lucky to have the support of Canadian Radio, they have created a playlist that feels like home. Canada has so much talent, which has begun to caught on world wide! Especially in the pop world, people like Bieber, Mendez, Drake, Alessa… you name it! I think in the next coming years, we will start to see this in country music!
4.) How can aspiring musicians use social media to their advantage for breaking into the industry? Social media is everything these days! We have the opportunity to create a conversation with millions of people, which is both amazing and scary! We have seen people post one video on Youtube and their careers take off. Of course I am not saying that will happen if you do, but it most certainly wouldn’t hurt to try. Social media has given us a platform that no other music enterprise could, so aspiring musicians should use these outlets, get a conversation going, and create a following! The right people will catch on, we promise.
5.) What songs are currently on your playlist?
Oh geez, our playlists are all over the map! We love to listen to all types of music, Maren Morris ft. Zedd… The Middle (do we need to say more lol), Lauv – I like me Better, Kacey Musgraves – Space Cowboy, Post Malone – Psycho, Love in this Club – Usher, Waylon Jennings – Luckenbach, Texas, Dan + Shay – Tequila and ohh and the list goes on…
6.) Where do you find new music to listen to?
We are always listening, we drive an older car with no AUX input so country radio is where it’s at! We listen to so much radio, and blast it when our songs come on (losers! lol), but any other time we are fans of both Apple Music and Spotify! The amount of music at our fingertips today is literally amazing.
