Bonnyville-raised country music singer Robert Adam has made it to the finals in the sixth annual SiriusXM Top of the Country competition.
Adam, who now calls Calgary home, has been a familiar voice on the Alberta country music scene for the last several years. Describing himself as a “Dream Angel Cowboy”, has written a queer alternative love song and is working on finishing his debut album ‘Governed By The Seasons’.
In February, Adam was one of eight semi-finalists who competed in the contest, a partnership between the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and the SiriusXM satellite radio franchise Earlier this month, the shortlist was narrowed to just three finalists. Adam will now battle against Vernon, British’ Columbia’s Zach McPhee and Montreal singer Trudy for top spot.
The finals of the contest will take place during the week of the 2024 CCMA awards from Sept. 11-14. During that week, voters and a panel of judges will determine the winner from three finalists. The winning act will receive $25,000. The two runners-up will each receive $10,000 to be put towards musical development.
How does it feel to have made it to this point?
“Like I am living in a daydream,” Adam told Lakeland This Week.
According to the musician, the journey over the past two months as a semi-finalist has been fast-paced, but also fun. As part of the first leg of the competition, each of the eight semi-finalists were given opportunities to record original songs in studio, with live videos of the recording sessions online. Fans then voted for their favourites.
Adam recorded and made a video for his song “Whiskey On Your Words”, which has been featured on the SiriusXM website.
While the voting period was a bit stressful because there was so much on the line, Adam feels joy and gratitude for having the opportunity to record in The Warehouse Studio, which is owned by Canadian rock icon Bryan Adams.
“Going to the West Coast to see the cherry blossoms bloom, working with a top-notch film crew, and recording team… I am still speechless,” he stated.
Part of his finalist reward, Adam will also be heading to Nashville in June for the annual CMA Fest for the first time, a four-day musical festival that draws over 400 artists and plenty of country music fans.
While in the country music capital of the world, Adam and the other finalists will be provided with mentorship and networking opportunities. He will also be performing in a songwriter round on the CMA spotlight stage. To prepare for this show, Adam has been rehearsing either by himself or with bandmates at least five times a week.
In the songwriter round, he chooses songs that have the most impact but also show he can serve a variety of music. He's also working on his stage presence, including designing outfits for upcoming gigs over the summer months. Often dressed in clothing glittered with rhinestones and sparkles, his flamboyant appearance has been an integral part of his career so far. The look is more than window-dressing, he says.
“It’s very important to me that the industry does not see me as a novelty or a one trick pony,” he stated. “For this performance I’m planning an outfit that is elegant but approachable.”
Following his trip to Nashville, Adam will be heading to Quebec in mid-August to play at Lasso Montréal, one of the largest annual country music festivals in Canada. The singer-songwriter will also be playing during CCMA awards week in September.
When asked if he believed that he would make it to the finals upon entering this competition, Adams says that a tricky one. He felt confident in his organization and execution of writing and recording “Whiskey On Your Words”, as well as the video and the ad campaign. Furthermore, he added that he has the right people in his camp to ensure his vision becomes reality both on the Sirius XM side as well as on his own personal time side.
However, as Adam puts it, competitions are anyone’s game, and there’s no way for competitors to know what the panel of judges wants in their next choice and how the votes will go.
Over the next couple of years, as he moves along with his country music career, Adam sees himself connecting with audiences all over Canada and beyond-including Japan, Europe, and the US. Live performing, he added, is his strongest asset.
“I have always been told I dream too big, (but) I don’t believe it’s healthy for me to tone down the dreams in my heart,” he said. “My dreams have always been there for a reason… keeping me moving, and creating, with the goal of making people's hearts lighter, and more joyful.”
