Music runs deep in the blood of rising Canadian Country star, Elyse Saunders. For Saunders, singing and performing from young age has blossomed into so much more. Saunders has put in the time and effort necessary to grow as an artist and a writer and as a result has quickly become on of the Canadian scene’s most intriguing rising artists. Saunders sets herself apart from her peers with her willingness to take risks and step outside of the musical cookie cutter.
Recently, we had the chance to chat with Saunders about her musical journey, style, and new EP Free.
When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in music?
I’ve always known that I wanted to be on stage singing and being an entertainer, but it wasn’t until the end of high school that I knew that I could really make it a career, so I made the decision to pursue it.
Once you knew, what was your first step towards making this dream a reality?
I started singing on stage through competitions and then soon after, I met my first mentor from my hometown. He helped me to find my own authentic voice as a artist and we spent a lot of time recording. This showed me what it took to make a song come alive through a vocal interpretation of the lyric. Not long after, we headed to Nashville to record my first CD with some amazing musicians in the scene. I shared that release as my first showcase as an artist in the country music scene, which opened some doors for me and at that moment I realized that it was becoming a reality. After that, I spent several years growing as a person and developing my chops as an entertainer and songwriter. I really wanted to become the best I could to help me grow into a professional at my craft.
How would you describe your musical style?
I’m a country artist with crossover pop and R&B sounds.
Who most influenced this style?
Since I was a kid, we always had country music playing in our house but also all of the other genres, too. I’ve always believed that a good song is a good song, no matter the genre and still listen to all types of music. I really like bringing some of those other influences into my style of country music and have fun with it. It’s important to me that my sound is fresh and unique to me.
What was the process like putting together your new EP “Free”?
In my course of development, I had been writing between Canada and Nashville and was building my live show quite a bit. Once I had zoned in on the songs that I wanted to record, I had spent some time trying them out in demos and was working on trying to find the right team and producers to help me to take it all to another level and in the meantime also trying to find funding to help put it all together. I was so fortunate to have received the support of Factor Canada and Creative BC to allow everything I had been working towards to come together! I spent some time going back and forth between Toronto, Ontario and British Columbia to record the EP and was really thoughtful on how I wanted to release the singles which lead to dropping the entire EP. Because we’ve been in a pandemic over these past two years I’ve been really focused on giving my fans content and connecting to them that way so that they could be part of these releases. It’s all been quite the journey and I’m so proud that it’s here!
Is there a song on the project that sticks out as a favorite to you?
They’re all my song babies, so I love each of them for different reasons. If I had to pick one, it would be my title track “Free” only because it was the first track released from the EP and the one that set the tone and bar for where I am as an artist now. It was also the one that changed my career and opened the door to so many new opportunities and has been a part of so many firsts for me. It reached all of the fans and brought in new listeners, and it was really was beginning of this entire momentum.
What do you want listeners to take away when listening to the EP?
I hope that it leaves them feeling good vibes and that they can find their own story in one or all of the songs. I want them to feel like they got to know Elyse Saunders the artist a little more and that they’re part of my music family now.
Check out Free on your preferred streaming platform here!! https://smarturl.it/free-the-ep
- Romeo Vaughn Shines on Eclectic New Single, “DOIN MY THANG”
- Michael J. Babb Shines on Summer Anthem “Catfish Belly Saloon”
- Katrina Cain Shows off Artistic Prowess on “Gold”
- Justin Andrews Taps Into A “Goldmine”
- Sean Caramore Takes Listeners on Emotional Rollercoaster with New Video for “Water Rises”
Worlds Of Country 