Montreal singer-songwriter a finalist in SiriusXM Top of the Country competition

Among this year’s three finalists for the sixth annual SiriusXM Top of the Country competition is none other than Montreal singer-songwriter Trudy.

Having released her debut EP “Go Solo” in 2023, this stage of the competition, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), means she’ll get coveted mentorship, live performance opportunities and a shot at a $25,000 grand prize.

“It feels like such an honor to be recognized by SiriusXM, the Canadian Country Music Association, also to be among such amazing talent. I was already just so grateful to be a part of the top eight, and now to be top three, it really feels like a dream come true,” said Trudy.

“Sometimes it does get tough and lonely as an independent artist, and to just have that kind of recognition and have SiriusXM offer this incredible platform to showcase all this emerging Canadian talent feels amazing.”

After feeling shelved and stuck in a record deal, Trudy says she was inspired to write her EP’s title track.

“So it sounds like I’m speaking about a relationship, but in reality, I was kind of being shelved. And so I’m saying it’s that metaphor. I was waiting for the show, you left me on standby, so that whole concept of kind of waiting for your moment, and finally your moment doesn’t come.”

Having since broken free and pursued her career as an independent artist, Trudy says she has zero regrets.

“I think the coolest part is really to have full, creative control and do something that’s really authentic. Sometimes when you have a big team, you can kind of lose the essence of things and the authenticity, so I think that’s the biggest upside,” she explained.

“It feels amazing, honestly, to have this body of work finally out to the world, and I’m already working on another one, and it’s just been an incredible process with my producer, Connor Seidel.”

With a sound that she describes as a fusion of country, folk, singer-songwriter, and pop, the Montreal music artist says there’s much to look forward to leading up to the final SiriusXM showdown in September.

“The next step is going to Nashville, beginning of June, going to CMA Fest. I have a bunch of really cool networking opportunities over there, and then I’m doing Lasso again, which I had the pleasure of doing last year, and it was literally the best day of my entire summer, so I’m really excited for that, and the Canadian Country Music Awards in September as well.”