To say 2020 has been a challenge is a bit like saying a prairie wildfire is just a localized heatwave. It is a massive understatement that ignores the scorched earth left behind in the live music industry. But for Canadian country titan Brett Kissel, the year has served as something more than a forced hiatus. It has been a period of frantic innovation, deep-seated reflection and a total reimagining of what it means to be a Nashville-adjacent star in a world where the border is slammed shut.
Kissel has never been the type to rest on his laurels or wait for a government grant to save his touring cycle. Over the past few months, the reigning CCMA Fans’ Choice champion has pivotally hit the Web, the road and even the lake, proving that the hustle does not stop just because the arenas are dark. He is not just surviving; he is rewriting the playbook for how an artist maintains a brand when the traditional gatekeepers are sidelined.
Now, as he stares down five nominations at this year’s CCMA Awards—including the heavy-hitting Entertainer of the Year—Kissel is already looking past the trophy case. He has big plans in the works and fresh tracks on the horizon. We sat down with him to talk about the grit required to maintain a career in a vacuum and what his team is cooking up for the 519 and beyond.
The conversation naturally starts with the CCMA Awards. In a year where the glitz of a red carpet has been replaced by ring lights and Zoom calls, the value of certain accolades shifts. For Kissel, the Fans’ Choice award remains the north star, even if the campaign trail looks radically different in the "new normal."
"It’s been totally different," Kissel says. "We haven’t had that live show aspect of, you know, getting to stand up on stage, acknowledge, and express gratitude for the nomination. Now, it’s a bit more of a one-on-one approach. When you’re talking on social media, even though I may have over 100,000 followers, it’s about that personal connection with everybody, and letting them know how much I appreciate their support. So, it’s certainly different, because we have no idea how many votes are coming anybody’s way during this time, but I think it’s been a really interesting process to put everybody’s fan base to the test. I’m really proud of the fans I’ve got, and how they’ve been able to prop me up during a very, very difficult time. As an entertainer, it’s very difficult to see your worth sometimes or figure out who you really are without the fans. So, after so many shows have been canceled. I’ve just tried really, really hard to connect with everybody as best I can and show it’s still something we can win together, if we’re lucky enough to win it — because in reality, it’s for all of us."
That philosophy of shared victory is not just PR fluff. Kissel is famous for literally dragging his hardware across the country, letting fans hold the glass as if it were a communal relic. It is a move borrowed from the world of professional sports, treating a music award with the same reverence and public accessibility as a championship trophy.
"I’ve had a few friends who have won Stanley Cups in the past, and when they have their hometown parade everyone shows up to celebrate because that community is a part of history — that community won that Stanley Cup too," he explains. "I heard someone’s speech say once, it isn’t just for me; it’s for my parents, my hockey coaches, and my teammates from peewee, junior and everything. And I thought, that’s exactly what a country music career is like. So, when I was lucky enough to win my Stanley Cup, which is the Fans’ Choice Award, it’s important that I share that with everybody. That’s why I’ve always brought it with me to every show, so that if I’m doing a meet and greet, it’s shared with whoever voted or with anybody who has ever been a part of this victory. My name may be on the glass, but this is something we all accomplished together. If someone else wins this year, I hope they would do the same thing and take that trophy out on the road in 2021, to make sure everybody gets a chance to hold it, because I know I sure will if I’m lucky enough to win it."
But a solo artist is only as sharp as the players behind him. Kissel’s road band is a tight-knit unit of session-quality monsters who have once again secured CCMA nods in their respective instrumental categories. Tyler Vollrath, in particular, is pulling double duty with two nominations. It is rare to see a frontman so genuinely invested in the technical recognition of his sidemen.
"I’m over the moon for them, and it’s so well deserved because they are the best band in Canada as far as I’m concerned, and the work ethic and the heart of the talent they’ve got is unmatched," Kissel says. "For them to get a nomination has nothing to do with me and has everything to do with their own craft. These guys are extraordinary and if anybody’s going to sweep anything, I hope it’s my band. I would genuinely trade my nominations for theirs if it meant all six of those guys could walk away with a glass trophy. I truly believe that they are the best in the country."
When the world locked down in March, the industry pivoted to the livestream. Every artist with an iPhone and an acoustic guitar was suddenly broadcasting from their kitchen. Kissel joined the fray with his Cooped-Up Concert Series, but he was quick to realize that a digital signal is a poor substitute for the roar of a crowd. There is a technical sterility to the livestream that no amount of emojis can fix.
"The live streams were very important, and they still are," Kissel notes. "Anytime I go on Instagram or Facebook, it’s a wonderful opportunity to connect. And even though 2020 has been a really tough year in a lot of ways, I’m very grateful we’ve had that type of technology available. I’ve been cooped up; people have been cooped up — that’s why I called it the Cooped-Up Concert Series and had great guests. It was a lot of fun. Every time I signed off, and clicked my phone off, I would go back upstairs and talk to my wife Cecilia and I say, ‘You know what? It was good, but we’re still missing something; it was good, but it’s not the same. It was good — but it wasn’t great.’ There’s no stage, so you can’t really connect. And so, it was only a matter of time until we figured out a way to bring people together, but apart, because that’s what we had to do. That’s how the drive-in model came to be, and I’ve been so blessed they’ve turned out as amazing as they have."
I know I’m going to be a better dad and a better husband going into 2021, because now I realize that music isn’t everything. Live shows aren’t everything. My family is everything. ...I’m more fulfilled when I spend this time at home with my family than I could ever be on a tour bus.
The drive-in model became Kissel’s signature move of the summer. He toured Alberta and Saskatchewan before setting his sights on Ontario with a massive date in Ottawa on Sept. 19. For those of us in the 519, the distance to the capital is a bit of a hike, but Kissel hints that the Southwestern Ontario corridor—London and Windsor specifically—is high on his priority list.
"Absolutely," Kissel says when asked if more Ontario dates are coming. "I mean, ever since we launched in Edmonton in June, my phone was lighting up with different organizers different potential sponsors, as well as people in government across Canada saying this is really special, how did you do it? Can you let us know how you did it? Whether it’s because they want to get some local acts going, or they want to have us come. I’ve loved sharing everything and I’ve been an open book not just on social media but behind closed doors with anybody who wants to know how this went and what hoops we needed to jump through. That being said, it’s so funny because when you announce one show in the province, a lot of other people get excited. So yes, we’re definitely looking to play in other markets. After the Ottawa show was announced, everyone I know in London — I swear — either sent me a message on social media or texted me asking me why not London? Because they know London is one of my favourite places to play. So, I can assure everyone, we’re working on more shows, more cities and more locations to come!"
Performing for a sea of cars is a different beast entirely. You lose the front-row intimacy, but you gain a weird, mechanical energy. Instead of applause, you get high beams and car horns. It forces a performer to work harder, to project further and to bridge a gap that is physically wider than any mosh pit.
"Getting an opportunity to stand on stage and look out at a sea of vehicles, everything I have to do as a performer is ten times more than what happens at a normal show — because it’s so important we entertain the very best we possibly can," he explains. "And the fans are making sure their presence is known as well, honking their horns, or they have giant signs. It’s truly been amazing to look out at all those people — it’s been beyond my wildest dreams and I’m so glad we’ve been able to do it so many times this summer."
But the drive-in was only the beginning. On Aug. 2, Kissel took the concept to the water at Lake Windermere, BC. It was a logistical nightmare turned into a viral success, proving that if there is a flat surface and a sound system, Kissel will find a way to play it.
"The boat concert was kind of the ultimate social distance concert in the sense that we realized that on any given weekend in some of the big areas — in British Columbia or Alberta — there’s hundreds of boats out on the lakes, and you physically can’t connect with anybody unless they’re in your bubble, or on the boat with you," Kissel says. "So, my very good friend Brett Wilson is an incredible philanthropist out here, and together we’ve raised millions of dollars for a lot of charities across Canada. Brett has a gorgeous cabin out on Lake Windermere, so he said; Why don’t we do a pop-up show here? And so, I said yes. I wanted to just get out to the lake and just enjoy, and so did my band, so it was a holiday that turned into an epic event. And of course, we had to follow all the rules, we reached out to BC Health and said look, if we do this, how’s it going to look? So, we brought a sound system. Then that Saturday morning, I went for a run and at 7:30 a.m. I said 12 hours from now we’re going to be on this lake lot, bring your boats, tell your friends. And we had 3,000 people on the way. All in boats, social distanced. It was unbelievable."
There is a restlessness to Kissel that defines his career. While many artists took the pandemic as an excuse to finally catch up on sleep or start a vegetable garden, Kissel seemed to be operating on a permanent shot of espresso. It is a drive that is partly professional and deeply personal.
"It’s both," Kissel admits. "But personally, as creative entrepreneurs, we can’t sit back and let the chips fall where they may. You have to take destiny into your own hands. You have to take the future and your present into your own hands. Don’t get me wrong, did I come up with new hobbies? Absolutely. Did I soak in this time with my wife and my kids? Absolutely. In fact, I know I’m going to be a better dad and a better husband going into 2021, because now I realize that music isn’t everything. Live shows aren’t everything. My family is everything. Where I would be on the road for 300 days over the last five years in a row, and yes, my family came along, it was still 300 days on the road. Whereas now, I’m going to flip the switch and I’m going to say, I survived, this worked out — I’m more fulfilled when I spend this time at home with my family than I could ever be on a tour bus."
And yet, the itch to create never fully went away. The idea for the drive-in shows did not come from a corporate boardroom in Nashville; it came from a text message about a guy in Latvia.
"But, with that all being said, while I’m finding the balance between both worlds and realizing what’s truly important, I did sit alone for a few months at home," he says. "There were months of planning, ideas, and frustration. Looking for a silver lining and feeling the uncertainty. And then when I got a text from a friend of mine telling me about what this one guy did in Europe. It was just one guy and his guitar on stage, playing a drive-in in the middle of a field in Latvia. You said, you should do this in Canada. I texted my manager, my agent and my friend Jackie Ray, and said I’ve got an idea, and it’s going to be amazing. And I referenced Big Valley Jamboree, I referenced Parkjam. We went to work, and from that text, 28 days later we did eight shows in Edmonton. When you’ve got the willingness to work — when you’ve got the idea and the team, you can be successful with it. I’m extremely grateful we accomplished what we did for the charity, for the community, for the province, and for Canada — not just for myself in my own heart."
The shift in pace also allowed for moments of genuine domesticity. On July 1, Brett and Cecilia celebrated their anniversary. Usually, Canada Day is a blur of festival stages and travel, but 2020 offered a rare chance to be a husband and a father first.
"We’ve always made a point that every July 1, we’ll be together no matter what," Kissel says. "But, like you said, it’s usually for a show. Whereas this time, we dressed up and we took our kids for a beautiful dinner, and it was a date with all five of us. It might have been the best Canada Day yet."
In the midst of all this, Kissel looked back at his catalogue and decided to breathe new life into "Tough People Do." It is a track that has always resonated with his base, but in the context of a global health crisis and an economic downturn, it feels less like a song and more like a manifesto.
"I wanted Tough People Do to come out again this year because of what everyone is going through," Kissel explains. "I got so many messages on social media, and there were a lot of one-on-one conversations or phone calls that I had with friends and family, saying they’ve been listening to the song on repeat. You know, it’s a really tough time right now — so many people have lost jobs, so many parents are overwhelmed with having a kind of home-school situation with their kids. But if there’s anything I’ve learned or anything I’ve seen or I know to be true, it’s that tough times don’t last forever. Tough people last. Everybody gets through it; through financial recession, or in this case, through a global pandemic. We’re absolutely getting through it and we’re adapting as a human society, as a global society, and as Canadians. We’re adapting and we’re making the most of it. We’re learning, and that’s the epitome of what the song is all about. So, I was really grateful that my record label Warner said, if you want to do this, we’re all about it and we just put that out to the world. It wasn’t about a chart position; we just wanted every radio station to give all the fans a new version that was a lot more vulnerable to go with the times."
That vulnerability is bleeding into his new material. Kissel is leaning away from the high-gloss production of modern radio and digging back into the soil. He and Cecilia bought the family farm from his grandparents, and that return to his roots is providing a fresh well of inspiration.
"If there’s been anything that has been a consistent theme in my songwriting right now during this time, it’s been the topic of appreciation," he says. "You don’t need materialistic things to be happy. Sometimes it’s great to just put your hands in the dirt and when you do that, you just get back to the basics. You know, my wife and I bought the family farm from my grandparents, so we’ve always got a place to come home to. It’s those kinds of things that fall under that category of gratitude and appreciation. Sometimes the biggest moments come from living a smaller life. Those are the kinds of things that I’ve been writing about a lot lately."
So, when does the world get to hear this new direction? Kissel is eyeing the first day of the new year as a reset button.
"Jan. 1, 2021, is exactly what we’re planning for," Kissel reveals. "We released Now Or Never on Jan. 1, 2020, to start the new decade off on the right foot — did that ever go downhill real fast. But anyway, that’s our goal, our plan, and our desire to have new music. Whether that be at least a new song, or a new full record hitting the shelves, everyone will be able to get something new the stroke of midnight Dec. 31."
If Kissel has proven anything this year, it is that the industry might be stalled, but the artist is not. He is finding the silver lining in the dust of a drive-in lot, and if we are lucky, he will be bringing that glass trophy to the 519 very soon.
