Codie Prevost may seem like a new artist to some, but this Canadian singer songwriter has been hot in the Great White North for years, toured with major U S artists and has a massive fan base.
We caught up with the singer get some insight into who he is.
CN: For our fans who may not be familiar with you, would you give our readers a little background on yourself?
CP: I was born and raised on a farm just outside of Archerwill, Saskatchewan, Canada. Watching my mom and uncle perform classic country music songs at family events inspired me to pick up the guitar myself. By the age of 16, I was performing at community events, talent contests, and had my hand at writing some of my 1st songs.
CN: While growing up, your mom played guitar and sang; do any of your siblings have musical backgrounds?
CP: My sister and I started taking guitar lessons from a guy in our small town. We took lessons for a few months then decided to learn on our own. I kept going with it but my sister didn’t continue on.
CN: In your bio, it says you learned to play guitar by practicing on your mom’s. Do you play any other instruments?
CP: In art class in high school my teacher played the harmonica so as part of the curriculum one of our assignments was to learn to play. I’ve continued to play harmonica over the years and it’s the only class I ever got 100% in lol.
CN: You began writing songs at a young age. Being so young, what first inspired you to write?
CP: In High School my buddies and I started a punk rock band and we needed an original song so you could say this was my inspiration to dive in and write my first song!
CN: Are there any artists that you idolize?
CP: Eric Church and Keith Urban are my two favourite country artists. Keith I idolize from a performance aspect and Eric for his songwriting.
CN: You and your manager, Al Leblanc, came up with a “5 year plan” in efforts to jumpstart your career. Can you tell us what your plan was and if it’s something any new artist could or should come up with for success in the business?
CP: The 5-year business plan was a key change in my life. Once the business plan was in place my goals and targets started to be reached. Prior to having the business plan there were a lot of ideas and dreams swirling around but my focus became a lot clearer when everything was written down on paper. I would recommend this to any artist who wants to have a serious shot at making a living from their music.
CN: Throughout your career you have won a lot of awards, a majority of them being Saskatchewan Country Music Awards. How do Canadian Awards differ, if at all, from the American Awards, for example CMA’s or ACM’s?
CP: There are many associations in the music industry and at all levels. There are provincial music associations, national music associations, and international music associations. The Saskatchewan Country Music Association is based in my home province of Saskatchewan and consists of artists who live in this province. The Canadian Country Music Association is national so it consists of artists from all across Canada. The American Country Music Association features mostly USA artists but also includes some international artists as well. The associations are put in place to grow and support the talent in these different locations.
CN: You’ve shared the stage with some country heavyweights including Florida Georgia Line, Garth Brooks, and Jason Aldean, as well as fellow Canadian group Emerson Drive and Stephen Maguire. What were those experiences like? What did you learn from them?
CP: Those experiences are surreal. The town I was raised in consists of 300 people in total so when I get the chance to stand up on stage and sing in front of 10,000 people at a time my world is changed forever. I recall performing with Big & Rich at The Grey Cup football championship and as I walked out on stage to a sold out arena my only thought was wow this is incredible as the hairs on my arms stood straight up. There is so much to learn from watching these entertainers and it definitely helps me as an artist to reach a new level.
CN: Speaking of Stephen Maguire, you two toured together for the “Imagine No Bullying” tour. Can you tell our readers what this was about and are there any plans to bring this tour to the US?
CP: Initially the idea was formed by Stephen Maguire to host a concert in our home city of Saskatoon, Sk, Canada. He asked around 10 artists including myself. We came together and did the concert in support of pink day which is the campaign focused on minimizing bullying by bringing about awareness. The show went off incredible and Stephen started getting phone calls to take the tour to different communities. He asked me to be involved and we ended up going to a lot of schools along with the Canadian Red Cross. It was a very powerful moving experience for me to be a part of and something I strongly believe in.
CN: Continuing the topic of touring, now that your album “Radio” is out, are there any plans to tour in Canada and US?
CP: We are currently booking tour dates for 2019 and I’m happy to say there will be some United States shows!
CN: Your official fan club is set to launch in early 2019. Can you fill us in on its progress and when your enormous fan base can expect it?
CP: I’ve been working on my fan club for a year now and it’s almost ready to launch! It’s been a big project but I’ve always envisioned a home for my fans where we can all come together and interact! It will be quite different from a traditional fan club in the sense that it will be more interactive with lots of involvement from me! I truly appreciate my fans and I wouldn’t be doing music today without them.
CN: What are some of your future ambitions? Perhaps playing The Opry or at The Ryman?
CP: Future ambitions include doing a headline tour of my own, touring the United States, continue recording more music, continue building my fan base and to grow my fan club!
CN: For fun, do you follow sports? If so, which ones and do you have an allegiance to any Canadian or American teams?
CP: I played sports throughout my childhood and into college but have never watched a lot of sports on TV. I’ve been to a few live NHL and Football games and enjoyed them.
For more information on Codie Prevost, visit his website at www.codieprevost.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.