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WATCH: Country singers tell their stories in Red Deer

Every song has a story.

Every song has a story.

A handful of Alberta country music artists took the stage to share stories behind the songs of personal struggle, break ups and more during the 2017 Songwriter Series in Red Deer on Saturday.

Kym Simon, born and raised in Stettler, was one of the performers at the Songwriter Series, one night before the Alberta Country Music Awards.

Artists don’t always get to share these kinds of stories, said Simon, a Female Singer of the Year nominee.

“People do wonder, ‘How in the world did you come up with that (song)?’ We like telling those stories and it’s really neat to see people’s reactions in the crowd,” Simon said.

READ MORE: Full list of Alberta Country Music Awards nominees

Simon played three songs Easy Way Out, Ladies Night Out and You Got This.

Joining Simon on stage were Red Deer’s Ryan Langlois, who was nominated for Best Male Artist and Album of the Year, and Innisfail’s Devin Cooper.

“It’s very cool to see the different range of artistic stuff going on.

“I love the other artists and we’re all in this together. It’s just great to see them grow through the years because we’ve all been going at the same time,” said Simon.

Billie Hanson, Association of Country Music in Alberta interim executive director, said knowing the story behind a song makes that song better.

“With this event you get to know what state the artists were in when they were writing and you get to feel that emotion they felt when they were writing,” said Hanson.

The people who came to the show loved hearing the stories, Hanson said.

“It’s a great way for the artists to connect with the fans on a different level. This way it isn’t just, ‘I’m the artist and you’re the fan.’ They’re kind of on the same level with this,” she said.



sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com

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Kym Simon, born and raised in Stettler, performs her song Easy Way Out at the Songwriter Series at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer Saturday night. (Photo by SEAN MCINTOSH/Advocate staff)
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A handful of artists performed at the Songwriter Series at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer Saturday night, just one night before the Alberta Country Music Awards. (Photo by SEAN MCINTOSH/Advocate staff)


Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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