Looking at Tenille Townes through a Zoom lens is a bit like watching a high-definition broadcast of a prairie sunrise. There is a brightness there that feels almost defiant against the grey lag of a digital connection. She is sitting in Nashville, but the spirit is pure Alberta. Townes has spent the last few years becoming the most significant export in Canadian country music, a storyteller who trades in the currency of empathy rather than the hollow tropes of trucks and beer.
But the industry doesn't just hand out accolades for being nice. Townes has earned her seat at the table through a relentless, almost surgical precision in her songwriting. She is the first female in Mediabase Canada history to achieve two No. 1 singles with "Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking)" and "Somebody’s Daughter". At the end of June, she dropped "Girl Who Didn’t Care", a track that feels less like a radio play and more like a manifesto for the disillusioned.
It has been roughly a year since her debut album, "The Lemonade Stand", arrived to a reception that can only be described as a collective exhale from a genre starving for substance. Since then, the whirlwind has included hardware from the CCMAs, JUNOs and ACMs. We sat down with Townes to discuss the mechanics of nostalgia and the strange reality of becoming your own childhood hero.
When asked about the genesis of "Girl Who Didn’t Care", Townes leans into the screen, her enthusiasm unmuted. "Thanks for asking about the song! I’m so excited to be introducing this new chapter of music with this track. I’ve been walking a lot this year, around my neighbourhood, and there’s something therapeutic about just putting one foot in front of the other," she says.
The song isn't just a catchy hook; it is a clinical observation of how adulthood erodes the imagination. Townes found her inspiration in the mundane debris of suburban life. "I’ve noticed lots of different sidewalk chalk art, and I hear a lot of neighbour kids laughing in their backyards. Something about that just made me feel nostalgic about the seven or eight-year-old dreamer that I used to be. I feel like I owe so much gratitude to the courage of that little dreamer, and I realized I used to imagine getting to do the thing I’m doing now and I’m in awe. I think about that kind of courage — that fearless spirit — and that’s something that is so important for all of us to be able to hold onto, in some capacity," she explains.
There is a technical grit behind the whimsy. The track was birthed in the vacuum of isolation, proving that creativity is rarely hindered by geography. "I feel really inspired by all the little dreamers that I’ve gotten to meet along the way on the road and see out there singing along. I remember what that felt like, and it’s important to remember that. So, I wanted more of that courage in my life right now, and I think in my process of looking for that it was really fun to be able to write ‘Girl Who Didn’t Care’," Townes says.
She continues, detailing the remote nature of the production: "I wrote the song with two friends of mine that I had not met in person. We wrote the song on Zoom, and I learned how to record some vocals in my little music room this year and sent them to David Pramick, who produced the song and he put the whole song together from a very faraway place. He was actually out in Hawaii making this song, so it’s kind of made me feel like the track will always find a way to prevail, and I’m grateful for that."
The marketing for the single included a vintage clip of a young Townes boldly declaring her future stardom. It was a calculated but effective bit of brand-building that highlighted her lifelong trajectory. "Oh, my goodness yes, that is the fearlessness. It was the spirit that I used to have. It was without a doubt or a question I was going to grow up to be a singer, I was just going to be it. And I think that’s something special because at some point, that kind of relentless belief just starts to slip and fade as we grow up, so it was really fun to go back through some childhood memories and actually see a visual of what that little dreamer looked like. For me, it was strange and emotional. I’m glad there are some funny little gems out there to pull out and post," she admits.
But Townes isn't just performing for the sake of the spotlight. There is a psychological weight to her connection with the audience. "It’s so important to me because I feel so grateful that we get to all be on this ride together. And to me, the ultimate goal of music — and the most beautiful part about it — is the way it makes us feel like we’re not alone in something. I love getting to share those parts of my stories and the things that I’m working through on my own path," she says.
The "Little Tenille" of the video would likely be stunned by the current trophy room, which includes a JUNO for Country Album of the Year. "Music is my place to go and find understanding and a sense of belonging and it’s my greatest hope this music could feel like an invitation for people to be able to process that in their own hearts too. I hope that it makes people smile out there thinking about the dreamers they used to be too. It makes me excited to think about people remembering that," Townes adds. When asked what her younger self would think of the ACM wins and CCMA sweeps, she laughs. "I think she’d be like, oh my gosh, that’s so cool! She’d be freaking out. I really do think she would be."
Hearing people sing along to 'Jersey on the Wall' and come up to me after the show and telling me stories about loved ones in their life that they’ve lost. That’s such a courageous thing to do and it really blows me away. ...That is always such an honour, to get to hear about those people and get to hear their names... and how much they’re missed.
The industry success is one thing, but the peer-to-peer respect in Nashville is another beast entirely. Townes has managed to bridge the gap between being a Canadian darling and a legitimate Nashville heavyweight. "It’s an incredible honour. I mean, even just hearing you say those things out loud feels really surreal, and I think what means the most to me is being recognized in those ways and to be a part of the community of country music that has inspired me, and also to feel that people have made the songs a part of their lives. They’ve heard the music and they’ve been lifted up by it. That’s an incredible feeling," she says.
She speaks of her dual citizenship in the country music world with a sense of wonder. "Yes, it’s very surreal. It’s wild and wonderful to just feel like the communities on both sides have invited me to pull up a chair at the table. It’s people that I’ve just grown up looking up to and people who are my heroes and peers that are just making music that inspires me, and it’s really wonderful to be working on this path alongside them and to feel welcomed from everybody back at home in such a loving way. It really means a lot to me," she explains.
The origin story of her ambition often points back to a Shania Twain concert where a nine-year-old Townes, dressed in a homemade costume, was pulled on stage. It is the kind of lore that publicists dream of, but for Townes, it was a foundational trauma of the best kind. "I was singing along at the concert at the top of my lungs and she came around and reached out her hand and pulled me up on stage. That was a moment that lit a fire in me. It was like, OK, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I know that moment played a big part in encouraging that dreamer that I used to be. I really hope to get to pay that feeling forward someday to some kid either at a sold-out arena show down the road. I mean, I was such a huge fan of hers," she recalls.
While Canada remained largely shuttered during the mid-2021 period, the American touring circuit began to flicker back to life. Townes found herself in the strange position of performing while her home country remained in stasis. "I have! I feel so strange saying that because things are so very different back at home, but we have started things back up. We’ve played a handful of shows at this point, which have been such an emotional return to live music. It’s like my whole spirit and soul has missed it so much, and I’m really grateful to feel it coming back here and honoured to get to be a part of the Brothers Osborne tour this summer and fall. I look up to their music so much, and who they are as human beings," she notes.
The yearning for home is evident. "I’m just really excited to get to be a part of that tour and I promise as soon as we get the green light for being able to come back across the border in an easy way, we will absolutely be there playing shows. I can’t wait to come home. I’ve been, you know Face Timing with my family and keeping in touch through this crazy time, and we’re all so excited for things to be lifted up there. I really can’t wait to get on the road and see everyone at home. So, I’m sending so much love until then. This has really been such a hard time," she says.
Her time on the road has been a literal education, opening for the likes of Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley. "Oh, my goodness! I definitely spent so much time reminiscing and missing those days so much. I have had the most incredible opportunities to open up for so many of my heroes and have had the time in my life getting to learn from them and watch them as entertainers on and off the stage," Townes says.
The memories are vivid. "Being out on Miranda Lambert’s Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars was such a dream. It was so fun to be out there with all those incredible female voices and we got to sing Fooled Around and Fell in Love every night at the end of the show. Those were such special moments to me," she shares.
She continues with her tour highlights: "Getting to open for Dierks Bentley on his Burning Man tour was such a blast. He really took the best care of us, and I got to sing Different for Girls with him up on stage at all the shows and it was just so fun. I got the chance to tour and play in the UK a little bit, and I played one of my first headlining shows in London. That night is one that I definitely hold very, very close to my heart. It was a surreal evening of hearing a small room full of people, you know, singing along to all the second verses of songs."
But it is the heavy hitters like "Jersey on the Wall" that define her set. The song deals with the senselessness of loss, and the fan reaction is often visceral. "I think I see a lot of people singing ‘Somebody’s Daughter’ back, which really means a lot. That was sort of the first introduction off of ‘The Lemonade Stand’. The one I think catches me off guard would be ‘Jersey on the Wall’, and hearing people sing along to that one and come up to me after the show and telling me stories about loved ones in their life that they’ve lost. That’s such a courageous thing to do and it really blows me away," she says.
The interaction is often heavy. "You can tell by the way they’re looking at the floor, like they’re stringing words together to tell me about something that’s so hard. It’s such a vulnerable thing to do and I’m amazed at the way the music just pushes down those walls for us and that makes those conversations feel a little easier. That is always such an honour, to get to hear about those people and get to hear their names, what jersey number they were, what part of their story was and how much they’re missed. That really means the world to me just to see people singing along to that song," she explains.
Beyond the singles, Townes has a deep, almost spiritual connection to her catalog. "Well, I’ve been writing a lot of songs this past year that I can’t wait to start sharing them. There’s a few that haven’t been released yet that come to mind, but I would say the one that’s very close to my heart is a song called ‘When I Meet My Maker’ that was inspired by my great-grandmother," she reveals.
The story of that song's recording is a highlight of her career. "I had just recently moved to Nashville and was writing a bunch of songs here and I found myself at this little rental apartment I was staying at. I just sat down at the coffee table one day and picked up the guitar, and it felt like a very spiritual experience. I was missing her — she was like the glue to our family. She would come to everybody’s events and she’d be dancing all night and cooking everybody breakfast the next morning. She was such a tough cookie, and she’d come to so many of my shows and sit in the front row drinking her lucky beer. I still miss her so much," she says.
The recording session itself sounds like something out of a film. "So, I was thinking about her and about the process of what it’s like to kind of say goodbye to somebody here on Earth. The day we recorded the song in the studio, I wore her earrings, and we were in this big church that had been turned into a studio. The day we did her song we moved our little setup to the edge of the altar. We’re running the song, to see what might happen — just to rehearse it. That run through is top to bottom the tape you’ll hear on the record. In that moment I felt really close to her," she recalls.
Townes has used the pandemic to stockpile material, writing over 150 songs via Zoom. "I think I’ve written over 150 songs on Zoom this past year and writing music has absolutely been my way of being able to stay sane in this time at home. I’m really grateful to have music to turn to in that way. My favourite place to write from is the storyteller perspective — the observer — but I think this past year has really challenged me and has given me the space and capacity to sort of reflect on some more things that are happening inside. I think these songs are coming out a little bit more personal. So, I think that’s a big part of this new chapter of music," she says.
Even in a year of global crisis, she has found ways to pivot her philanthropy, raising $2 million for charity through Big Hearts For Big Kids. "It feels so strange to celebrate positive things in a time when so many people in the world are hurting and going through isolation, and health problems around the world. But I’m so grateful for the moments of joy. I feel like this year has definitely taught me it’s so important to keep holding on to all of the moments that we’re given. I have an even greater sense of gratitude towards the highs and the lows of it and to have been able to release ‘The Lemonade Stand’, the record, during the middle of the pandemic will always be a part of that time of history to me," she admits.
The conversation ends on a note of shared resilience. "Thank you for saying that. That’s so kind, and I think you’re right, even the smallest things that make a person smile are a big deal. I’m really grateful you said that. I know I’ve turned to music a lot more this past year in listening to people’s records and just walking around my neighbourhood, and that’s been such a comfort to me. So, I’m grateful this has been something that can still connect us all in such an isolating time," Townes concludes.
She is a rare bird in this industry: a realist who still believes in the magic of the sidewalk chalk. Townes isn't just playing the game; she is rewriting the rules of what a Canadian country star looks like in the 21st century. Sharp. Sincere. And entirely unapologetic about the dreamer she used to be.
