Country 2 Country Festival is Europe’s largest country music festival and it plays host to some of the biggest names in US country music. But, what C2C are also great at is bringing over country artists from other countries and in this case Canada. We love Canadian country music. So many great artists come from Canada (Shania Twain for example) and many have graced the Country 2 Country stage. Those artists include James Barker Band and Lindsay Ell whom proved incredibly popular, in fact Lindsay has been playing here for years now since her support slot with The Band Perry. That just goes to show the love and support the UK fans have for country music and how artists start here as support artists and then return as headliners.

I think it’s safe to say that the same will be for Tenille and for Tenille.

Tenille Townes

Tenille Townes has already built a large fanbase within the UK community when she made her debut in 2019 during Country Music Week. Gosh we miss that event and hope it returns this year. Can you believe that that would have been one of the last events/gigs for us country fans before everything was about to be put on hold for what seemed like forever?

Townes was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada but currently resides in Nashville. Like many successful artists, Townes played numerous shows at the Bluebird Cafe in hope of creating a relationship with Music Row. Townes also worked hard in many writing sessions which led to creating her EP Living Room Worktapes. This EP, a clear masterpiece has been a fan favourite over here in the UK since its release. The song that really got our attention was of course the heartbreaking Somebody’s Daughter. This song is stunning in both its melody and Townes vocals and its lyrics really hit you as are so painfully true. The words make you take a closer look at how hard some people truly have it. A song centred around a young girl whose life is on the street, Townes has us thinking about this girls story, who is she? who was she? She is somebody’s daughter and would have been somebody’s friend – how did she end up here?

Bet she was somebody’s best friend, laughing

Back when she was somebody’s sister

Counting change at the lemonade stand

Probably somebody’s high school first kiss

Dancing in a gym where the kids all talk about someday plans

Now this light’ll turn green and I’ll hand her a couple dollars

And I’ll wonder if she got lost or they forgot her

She’s somebody’s daughter

Somebody’s daughter

Townes lyrics in general are powerfully emotive and her natural passionate tone creates an even more beautiful story that makes you stop and truly listen to every word she sings. In fact her voice is distinctive and instantly recognisable. Townes also comes across as the sweetest soul, her personality truly shines in both her music and performances. She always seems to have a friendly disposition especially in interviews.

Jersey on the Wall…my gosh it’s not even easy to write about it as it’s so sad and it’s not even my experience. But the words will relate to so many people in so many different ways from all different experiences and that’s what makes a song so wonderfully healing. This song was inspired by a story Townes had been told during a performance at a High School and spending time with students who survived a crash that the basketball star didn’t and her Jersey hung on the wall of the high school gym. You can read more about the story here

Townes The Lemonade Stand album in general is a stunning masterpiece. I won’t do a full review here as will make this article way too long (it already is) and this is just somewhat of an introduction )Not that she needs one). However, if you haven’t heard the album yet I urge you to do so as it has a variety of songs from upbeat, ‘get up and dance to’ songs to the heartbreaking ballads and epic strong traditional country sounding tunes. It is also worth checking out her The Living Room Work Tapes to hear acoustic versions of her songs.

Townes was recently moved from being a Spotlight Stage act on Friday of C2C in the main arena to replacing Runaway June as a main stage main act on Saturday. She will also be hosting a private fan event on the Saturday which will feature some friends. You can enter here

Townes has a new single out called When’s It Gonna Happen! And whilst it’s not about playing C2C we have asked this question for two years ish now and it is soon to be here!!!

Check out Tenille Townes music here

Tenille Arts

Arts hails from Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada and currently resides in Nashville. Arts has released a number of records over the last 6 or so years via 19th + Grand Records. More recently Arts released her album Girl to Girl in 2021. In fact, Arts has actually had two albums out during the pandemic including Love, Heartbreak and Everything In Between. The latter was actually released in January 2020 so was just before all the restrictions came in which would have made promo for the album perhaps easier.

Arts and Townes are both alike in name but not in music. Arts brings a more country pop style to her music but with a charmingly mature edge.

Vocally the two or very different. Arts has a sweet sounding tone to her strong vocals with an impressive range.

Arts has some interesting songs on her current album Girl to Girl that instantly grab your attention in their titles as you know they are going to be relatable. One of the songs that stood out to me was That’s My Friend You’re Talking About which is about a friend who constantly puts herself down and as her friend (Arts) obviously doesn’t like it as sees her friend in a positive way and doesn’t like her friend putting herself down.

That’s my friend you’re talkin’ about

The one in the mirror you’re looking at now

Girl, you should borrow my view

So you see what I see in you

I don’t like the way you put yourself down

‘Cause that’s my friend you’re talkin’ about, yeah

This is a song so many of us can relate to and from both perspectives. We all have friends who we see as beautiful and amazing but they don’t see that in themselves but so many of us are also that person who puts themselves down and just cannot see what our friends see. It’s really quite sad to listen to but it truly does ring true.

Another track is the pop ballad Breakup Songs (feat Callista Clark) which has a fun twist to it. A song one would assume by its title to be more of a sad, downbeat song is actually more of a positive, upbeat track.

The song’s lyrics that really hit (and I wish was the full title or would that take away the mystery?) are;

I’m breaking up with breakup songs

Boy, ever since you came along

The sound of a steel guitar don’t break my heart like it used to

I don’t wanna remember what it feels like

To need a melody to get me through a goodbye

Guess I’m finally moving on, yеah

I’m breaking up with breakup songs

Passionate and emotive in her vocals, it’s very easy to lose yourself in Arts music.

Arts will be on the Spotlight Stage in the main arena on the Sunday in London and also on the BBC Radio 2 stage on Friday. We were hopeful for a collaboration with Callista Clark at some point across the weekend but I am not sure that is likely as Clark will be in Glasgow Sunday but she may appear on one of Arts sets on Friday or Saturday but we won’t rely on that! Either way, we are just extremely excited to see Arts perform and Townes too as we have never seen either live.

The Tenilles are such a great representation to how great Canadian country artists are and we can’t wait to discover more Canadian and more international country artists in general.

Please do check out all of their music, have a gander on You Tube and catch a live show if you can. This may be the last time they will play in such an intimate setting. (Obviously we don’t mean the main arena but more so BBC Radio 2 Stage (Arts) and Townes special competition as mentioned above)

Check out Tenille Arts music here

https://youtu.be/G2bE_iR9nas