Emerging from small town Alberta, country singer Brett Kissel has made his way up through the music ranks, signing a record deal with Warner Music Canada.
"I was so excited about signing with Warner music. They are an extremely well respected label around the world, and I knew we had something special when signed the deal," said Kissel. "My initial reaction is still one where I ask myself: did this actually happen? Each day I wake up, as a "signed" artist, and it feels really good."
The 22-year-old from Flat Lake is currently finishing up his major label debut record Started with a song, which is due to be released this fall. His debut single, the title track of the album, will be given to radio stations on June 17, before becoming available online the following day.
"Brett is one of the most exciting new voices I've heard in country music for a number of years," said Steve Kane, president of Warner Music Canada. "The combination of his youthful approach and his deep knowledge and respect for country music shines through his writing and performing."
When Kissel learned of the news he couldn't wait to share it with his family.
"The first person I called was my wife Cecilia. She's been so supportive and has been behind me and my dream every moment of the journey," said Kissel. "Then I called my parents shortly after. My mom and dad were extremely excited. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins followed."
Kissel has already released two independent albums. He has had two Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) award nominations and holds the title of being the youngest CCMA nominee ever.
"Brett has an incredible work ethic that matches his talent and has done so much to lay the foundation for a long and successful career," said Kane. "We're just thrilled to be able to partner with him to add to that foundation."
Kissel has been dreaming of becoming a signed artist for a long time and always knew it would happen.
"I dreamed about and wrote down my goals and looked at them every day. I knew that the next natural step was to get a record deal - what I didn't think was that it would happen this soon," said Kissel "People from Alberta have a lot of "fight" in them. And I look at a lot of Bonnyville start up businesses that turned into big, big businesses, and I treat them as inspiration."
Kissel signed the deal on May 10 and is now in the middle of a coast-to coast Canadian promotional tour, which will see him hit 60 different radio stations across every province in a span of 45 days.
He described the tour as "amazing" and a "whirlwind" and is loving every minute of it.
On May 14 Kissel was announced as the host for the CCMA Legends Show - A Tribute to Yesterday & Today on September 6 in Edmonton.
"I'm more excited than anyone could ever believe!"
For more information you can follow Kissel on twitter @brettkissel or "like" his fan page on Facebook.
