Kelsi Mayne deserves this

ep23 – Kelsi Mayne deserves this

[00:00:00]

Kelsi Mayne totally deserves this. You’ll hear what I mean by that. Eventually, trust me, I remember distinctly the moment I showed signs of becoming a jaded music industry veteran in the great line of other jaded music industry veterans I had met and known and heard speak in the backyard. Invitation only parties at South by Southwest or on panels at various conferences and festivals.

I was sitting in a conference room at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts with a handful of peers reviewing grant applications for recording funding. We had probably reviewed our 10th application of an artist I had never heard of yet had a list of accolades and achievements over a decent span in the province and beyond.

It dawned on me how futile industry created awards might be if a music fan still didn’t know who you were. Maybe that doesn’t seem jaded to you, actually just shrewdly [00:01:00] realistic, but it clearly came from a place of feeling I had seen enough and knew enough to allow myself a blanket dismissive opinion.

I’m not interested in anonymous success. I put that in air quotes. It’s something I said it stuck with me forever. I have made a vigilant effort to combat the tones of jaded opinions since then, despite still accepting that this was maybe my personal truth, but it didn’t mean I should be dismissive of those who don’t share it.

Kelsi Mayne has been fighting to establish a career for almost a decade. A pure love of singing and music gave birth to a songwriter and performer who has learned through all of the trials how to carry on building a resume of local and national accolades, but clearly uninterested in that anonymous success as she keeps going, keeps pushing for more ambition [00:02:00] the size of Texas.

10 years of being an up and coming star hasn’t dimmed the light. Kelsi is a country artist out of Windsor, Ontario, combining multi-gen influences to shape her own identity as a storyteller in the grand tradition, with three singles already released in 2025, her fourth and most recent single, someone who knows strikes a more vulnerable and complete version of Kelsi Mayne that offers a little something for everyone.

My name is Glen Erickson. This is Almost Famous Enough. Thanks for spending your time with us. This is Kelsi Mayne.

 

 

Glen: I do, I do a session at the end with my daughter of every post of these. We sort of have a little conversation at the end and, um, frequently [00:03:00] I, I don’t know whether she’s always messing with her settings, but I would, I would hit record and then all of a sudden everything would change. So it leaves me in this state of also panic when it comes to an actual session recording that, that would be the same thing.

But here we are. We’ve figured some things out. thank you so much for joining me, Kelsi. Kelsi, Mayne. Kelsi, where in Canada are you right now? I’m assuming Canada

Kelsi Mayne: I am I am in North Bay Ontario at the moment

Glen: Okay. So what are

Kelsi Mayne: In in a in a classroom

Glen: in a that? Oh, that’s a chalkboard.

Kelsi Mayne: it’s a chalkboard

Glen: could pass for a really, like those blurred backgrounds when you’re on Zoom or something. Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: Yeah no that’s it’s real It’s real But uh yeah I am uh currently working on a TV show filming up in North Bay at the moment

Glen: Oh my goodness. That’s great. okay, so give us a little geography lesson, for all the people who don’t know where North Bay Ontario is relative to the things they probably [00:04:00] would know in Ontario.

Kelsi Mayne: well it is uh like four hours north of Toronto and uh about 45 minutes from Sudbury

Glen: Oh, okay.

Kelsi Mayne: if that

Glen: Oh yeah,

Kelsi Mayne: helps

Glen: yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

Kelsi Mayne: and it is it is wild out here It it’s beautiful There’s like all these rocks and moss and trees and the wildlife is it’s real Um I almost hit a moose a couple weeks ago that was frightening And um I also there was a I looked across the street one time There’s a school another school across the street and uh so this is our production office that we’re working out of It’s like an old abandoned school but there’s a functional one across the street and there’s a there was a kid riding a bike It was maybe 7:30 PM He’s riding his bike outside [00:05:00] and he is being chased by a deer I am not kidding And he’s literally and I just see I just I it takes me a while to process what’s actually happening but literally across the street he’s just like he’s trying to kill me

Glen: These are the best, these are the best Canadian stories right off the bat. Like,

Kelsi Mayne: where am I right next

Glen: yeah, you go to America and people think we’re making this shit up, right? And.

Kelsi Mayne: it was great It was wild

Glen: Yeah. That’s, that’s awesome. So, yeah, I mean the Ontario North, you know, is an incredibly vast amount of incredible, all of it, all of Canadian woods rock, the Greek Canadian shield, the wildlife, the whole bit.

I mean, I’m Alberta guy, so I just as likely could go driving for a couple hours from where I am and almost hit a moose and see a moose and see a guy getting chased by a deer also. So, um, [00:06:00] it’s, it’s relative right across the country. I guess what, tell me about what you’re doing when you say you’re working on a television, television program in Northern Ontario.

What, what are you working on? Or is it top secret?

Kelsi Mayne: I don’t know if I can say um

Glen: That’s fair.

Kelsi Mayne: yeah I don’t I don’t know if I can say it but um I have a film and television background so I’ve I’ve also worked in in that space for many many years So uh this was a a just a a job that I I’m actually hired as a medical consultant on this one

Glen: Okay.

Kelsi Mayne: it’s a um

Glen: That’s all we need to know. You don’t, you don’t have to, you don’t have to spill the, uh, not ready for IMDB kind of dets yet. That’s fine.

Kelsi Mayne: I so so during during COID um because I have a film and television background plus um I actually went to school for nursing So both of those things kind of combined during [00:07:00] COVID as like a necessity cause

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: never stopped they never stopped production So uh that’s how I uh went got back into it because I used to act and and I did that for many years before I before I did music full

Glen: Okay. Okay. Well that’s, that’s awesome because this is what I like, this is what I like to do, Kelsi. I like to get back to the start and then draw my way through a timeline. Um, so I’ll, I’ll quickly frame us right off the bat before I do that, ’cause that’s my normal motif. But I wanted to say like, um, one of the reasons we’re talking and, and you’re talking probably to a lot of people is ’cause you have a new single out, someone who knows, which is very fresh out in the world right now.

So that’s always exciting. Congratulations. Um,

Kelsi Mayne: you

Glen: and so, and that’s like the fourth single of this year of 2025 so far. Is that what I saw?

Kelsi Mayne: yeah

Glen: Yeah. So four singles, that’s quite a role. You’ve played some of the biggest shows, uh, that are kind of available in the country. Music. Summer [00:08:00] circuit, which is the big time of country music in this country.

Um, so most of the time people have a plan. Sometimes it’s, it’s not a plan. So is this all the plan? Was this all part of the plan? Like where you’re sitting on October 1st, uh, of 2025, has this, is this, are you feeling like, yep, this is just exactly the way we planned it? Or, or is it not the case?

Kelsi Mayne: Well sitting here in North Bay wasn’t wasn’t originally the plan but um but uh sitting here with a new single has has been the the plan for a while I’ve uh been in music for doing music for about 10 years and so it’s been a but it’s been a lifelong dream I just didn’t have the guts to pursue it As as a child and growing up and [00:09:00] going to university I I uh thought it was more of a pipe dream and I figured I would try to use my other skills which was I loved the sciences and I loved to just help people So I thought would be a good nurse and and I did win some awards and some scholarships and stuff while I was in school and um I did enjoy it Um but I still felt like I needed to This music thing out of my system and like actually try it And so when I graduated it was I was working at a coyote ugly bar It was like a were I was like a bev retainer so they had me as like a server singer and I would jump up and sing and on the bar and then I would jump back down and serve And I did that to pay for my education and also to kinda get the entertainment side and the singing side like kind [00:10:00] of outta my system But it kind of did the opposite So

Glen: Yeah,

Kelsi Mayne: it kind of sparked and sparked that well it lit that flame and it kind of just grew and grew and grew and I just figured I would regret if I didn’t try it So

Glen: so this is like really, this is really common, right in the music industry of, uh, along that trajectory of people who are either trying it out or dipping their toes, or even in the, I don’t know if. We don’t really have a term of professional versus amateur or any of that, but you know, somewhere in that spectrum of when you’re going along where, you know, there’s a version where people have to keep a day job because, uh, it takes a long time to get towards paying the bills, if ever, and you’re always finding some way to be scrappy and, and, and, and keep that balance happening.

But then there’s also a version where I think it’s very familiar to people to wrestle with practicality. I think it’s kind of universal for anybody who has an aspiration. It feels like [00:11:00] a really big dream, whether it be a really big education dream or career goal. But the whole like, you know, did, was your whole family, do you have like a family of practical people?

Was there an influence on you to be like, I need to make the responsible choice and, and solidify my backup plans? Or, or how did that come about?

Kelsi Mayne: so my my dad’s a writer and so he If if he could he would’ve done creative writing but that doesn’t really pay the bills So he did he was a reporter for the newspaper at the Windsor Star That’s where I grew up in Windsor Ontario And then um and then he was uh he worked for car magazines in Detroit cause he’s also American So just commuting ev everyone in Windsor commutes like probably 50 of the people commute to to the states to work And so he worked for some [00:12:00] magazines and then he ended up doing PR for Chrysler So he was a writer and that’s how but he paid his bills doing the more practical

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: jobs And then um my mom’s an artist but she’s a like a visual artist So she did a lot of the murals around the city And uh the last I would say Seven years-ish she’s been doing sculpting So uh she it’s it’s something that I didn’t realize wasn’t a normal thing growing up It was

Glen: Hmm.

Kelsi Mayne: when my my friends and my band and they all come to my hometown We have like this year I had lined a a hometown show and um and I was showing them around and and it’s like oh yeah like my mom painted that and she she did that sculpture over there And I’m like I guess I guess that’s not what normal can say Like like not everyone can say

Glen: Yeah,

Kelsi Mayne: that your your your [00:13:00] mom’s kind of legacy is just scattered around the city

Glen: I,

Kelsi Mayne: years to

Glen: yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: it’s kind of cool

Glen: Yeah, so Windsor, you’re talking about Windsor, that’s hometown for you,

Kelsi Mayne: Yes

Glen: is awesome. And, uh, so I used to play in a touring band. I, I have a curiosity I just realized, is Phog Lounge still around? Is there any chance

Kelsi Mayne: believe it is I believe it is Yeah Yeah I think it is

Glen: Okay.

Kelsi Mayne: time I was yeah I don’t go downtown very much but um I’m pretty sure it’s still there Yeah

Glen: it was my favorite place to come play. And the guys in the band would always be like, what are we doing here, man? Like, there’s room for 15 people and a little triangle stage. You could only put the drums on and then everyone else had to stand on the floor in front of it. But, I loved it. And, and there was all these fans that were.

Uh, Detroit and across border side who loved to come across to see shows. And uh, I always loved going through Windsor. Actually, my other favorite [00:14:00] Windsor story was we came in on tour once and it was June and the city workers had all gone on strike and we’re driving in and it looked like a scene from the Walking Dead.

’cause the grass in the parks was about a foot and a half high, and the garbage was just sitting out everywhere because it hadn’t been picked up ’cause of the strike. And I think it was province wide because it was in Toronto as well. But the scene of driving into Windsor looked like it was from the Walking Dead.

So, that’s a real interesting place, I think to grow up for people, right? Like, I don’t know if everybody understands, you know, there’s nowhere else like that has that kind of influence, right? Just like you’re basically across the tunnel from Detroit and all the impacts, like you were just saying, all the people that go work there.

so you get. Growing up in Windsor, you got a creative family, which is actually really cool and rare typically. Um, I read that you have star track in your, in your background and pass. So there’s these, and the [00:15:00] reason I bring that up is you’re the second person I’ll talk to who had like track and field star, I dunno if you’re familiar with Tamara Beatty, the voice coach.

Um, okay, so,

Kelsi Mayne: she coached me for a

Glen: oh, did you? Okay.

Kelsi Mayne: yeah I’ve had her as my

Glen: Yeah, she’s wonderful. She’s a really good friend of mine and an absolute sweetheart and she did track stuff and a lot of that fitness training of her youth is the kind of the model she’s used to obviously build her voice fit, um, you know, performance career stuff. So, which is pretty awesome.

Um.

Kelsi Mayne: it’s so it’s so true I think that there’s totally a relation with actually Paul McGuire Uh and I had this conversation um about Same thing He was like there’s some relation with like athletes and musicians and a lot of musicians are former athletes and and I think it’s just has something to do with stubbornness and determination and and uh I think just [00:16:00] the ones that you know stick it out long enough it’s the that mentality of like I think sports teach you teaches you that and it’s like a

Glen: Hmm.

Kelsi Mayne: gradual satisfaction and it’s not all immediate and so you have to be patient

Glen: The belief in putting in the work is definitely the thing that you need to get you through whatever gap of time that you’re gonna be putting in the work. Right? Um, okay. So that’s, I. I mean, that’s, I think that’s a really great connection. So you go into nursing, you study that there, so you’ve like, I, I just find this stuff really interesting.

Kelsi. I I love that there’s this, I guess I wouldn’t have guessed it. You have these creative parents and yet you’ve built such disciplined practicality into your life growing up, which, you know, when a lot of people say isn’t always like the hotbed of I’m gonna become an artist, type of thing. So, um, I’m curious in all of that, you told us a little bit of the story of like, [00:17:00] when you finished university, you went to the coyote ugly bar, you kind of got a chance to sing, you were trying to work it outta your system and, and feel what that was like.

But I’m wondering sort of somewhere sooner in that you must have gotten a picture of like, what this could look like. I’m wondering where that happened. ’cause I, I think you’re. Childhood growing up obviously had some really interesting, like dichotomies existing, so

Kelsi Mayne: Well I I grew up on the stage uh I grew up actually Highland dancing so that was a Another life of mine So track track and field highland dancing nursing bartender server tainer

Glen: But how disciplined is Highland dancing, right? Like, oh my goodness.

Kelsi Mayne: yeah very very And I I had to give it up at a I got to the highest level but then as soon as I got there pretty much I had to give it [00:18:00] up because I was growing at the same time and had all these injuries from just growing and the constant pounding that your joints take And so I had both of my knees and both of my heels were all the tendons were all ripping So uh the doctor said if if I didn’t want it to be permanent then

Glen: Hmm.

Kelsi Mayne: to stop the most rigorous thing that I was doing And of course I did sports all at the same time I’ve always been a tomboy so I had to stop I had to give up dancing cause that was the hardest on me And then uh but I just always still loved the stage so I I kind of always found my way back to it And then I think that’s where I went back when I was in nursing school And then I had this job opportunity and I was like it was just it was my way of my outlet And then uh when I was graduating at the same time um I had you know it it was still a pipe dream at that time but um I had these two people two patrons [00:19:00] two nights in a row Um complete strangers come up to me and say the exact same thing And the first time so it was this the first one said what are you doing here And you should take this to the big city And I was like oh well that’s very sweet of you to say that Thank you And um and I just kind of brushed it off And then the very next night had a different stranger come up to me and I got I just got off the stage again and he said the exact same thing And I was like this is weird Like the word the choice of those words choice was just it was a weird thing to say what are you doing here And you should take this to the big city So I was like Like I don’t know if this is a divine intervention or whatever it is but like I had to take it as some sort of sign So I was like okay well if these and also the fact that like [00:20:00] these complete strangers up to me in the first place to tell me that Like they didn’t have to do that But um that meant more than like having your friends and family encourage you you know So um Which which I’m very also very grateful to have cause I think that they’ve believed in me more than I’ve believed in myself most of my life But um I think it’s uh it means a little bit more when someone with no obligation comes up to you and tells you

Glen: Yeah, I mean, your family gets you out the front door with all their belief, but you need those people to actually make you feel like, you know, your feet are on the actual ground that they’re supposed to be on. So that’s a pretty cool experience. Have, so did you move into this, the songwriting and the sort of the personal artistic development pretty fast?

Then did that start rolling out pretty quick?

Kelsi Mayne: I uh I just wanted to sing and perform because I love the [00:21:00] stage and anyone that’s ever seen me play live can I think can attest to that cause it’s just like I feel like I’m kind of like a kind of quiet and I kinda like keep to myself when I’m just like on my own But when I’m on stage I’m just I it’s like a whole new side of me that um kind kind of comes out And um but I didn’t get into songwriting until I moved to Toronto Um and then I had uh another artist friend songwriter friend Scotty Kipper was one of my first kind of music contacts and he said you know if you really wanna pursue this thing you need to learn an instrument and then you need to write it start writing your own stuff And so I was like Okay so I picked up a guitar and uh like when I was like 21 And then I started learning [00:22:00] And um I actually called up my old buddy that I went to uh like kindergarten with and grew up with who used to be a regular at the Phog Lounge Um and he I asked him to teach me some guitar and so he he taught me and um just you know the basic chords and then off off I went But songwriting is definitely like a a newer love of mine that I didn’t know I had the passion for but my gosh I it just makes me feel so alive when I when I get to write So it’s so cool

Glen: Now I love asking people like who their North Star kinda was, like who was the person? Uh, so the other night, actually, I’ll tell you the funny one is ’cause um, I was able to participate with an awesome thing that happened just last weekend called Music Day in Canada and able to sort of sponsor it and then they had.

Showcases in 11 different cities and I got to host [00:23:00] the one here in Edmonton, but they planned a medal night, which is not necessarily in my pocket. But, so I was MCing essentially. But it was fun ’cause I still did the same thing. I went around and talked to bands and find out, you know, I got the predictable, like Metallica, it was my north, you know, they’re the ones that got me to play guitar or whatever.

So pretty on the nose. But I had read that obviously, I think you had said Miranda Lambert was a huge influence on you. I don’t know if that’s who you’d answer, kind of was your North Star, but I’m always curious about two sides of the coin is one is who’s, yeah. That big star that you’re like, everything about them.

It’s, you know what I mean? It’s never just one thing, it’s everything about them sort of embodies what you would want. To aspire to. And also it’s not just aspire to, it’s literally B, right? Like you would like to recreate some of that in your life, but then the other side of the coin is you start doing it and you maybe start seeing people who are more local or more regional or [00:24:00] Canadian or whatever that, that, because they’re a little more close to home, make you believe like, oh, if they can do it, maybe I can’t do, I’m, I’m curious what those kind of people are in your life too.

Kelsi Mayne: Uh well yeah you’re right So Miranda was actually my influence so I I kind of taught myself to sing by impersonating other singers So uh

Glen: You said that sheepishly Kelsi, like you don’t think everybody does that. You think they all go higher? Tamara Beatty, when they’re six years old, they, they.

Kelsi Mayne: it’s it’s it’s only cause like usually the next thing is like oh well show is what you do But I haven’t done that in years But it’s like I did everyone from like share to James Blunt and Nora Jones and like and Miranda and Leanne Rimes and stuff so and Christina Aguilera So it was like I would just try to mimic [00:25:00] like kind of make the sounds that they

Glen: You mean like Ariana Grande when she does that thing on like Jimmy Fallon and, and mixes all the.

Kelsi Mayne: I have a I have an old high school talent show video somewhere floating in the universe I think on some link or something like that But uh of Me going from like one one act to the next to the next the next Um but I got that from my dad So my dad I grew up with him doing impersonations of he was really good at Elvis and then Louis Armstrong Neil Diamond and then but he he killed at country like Garth Brooks Randy Travis Dwight Yoakum Like he could he could do all them So um and then I just really enjoyed doing Mirandas And then once I started playing guitar um I really got into her songwriting and [00:26:00] and I just I fell in love with her style of songwriting So that was kind of I think how I eventually how I found country and then um how I stayed with it and how I fell in love with songwriting And I how I learned guitar

Glen: Okay, I’m gonna,

Kelsi Mayne: playing our songs

Glen: I’m gonna come back to the second half of my question to make sure I get it. But, but before I do that, um, so it, doing that, which I think, again, I said before, I think that’s completely legit and how a lot of people, maybe not to the level of like full in personization right. But, um, ’cause that can then make it maybe hard to find your own voice.

’cause even people who are just s you know, just starting out. That’s the main thing. ’cause I’ve been on so many of these development programs and stuff that, you know, you can just, you can listen to the TV shows like Idol and stuff and how often the criticism is that they haven’t actually found themself yet.

So did that take you a [00:27:00] long time to find, I guess is my question because I don’t know when, on that journey that you ran, Tamara ran into Tamara Beatty, but if you hadn’t found it by that point, she probably was gonna make sure that you did. I’m just wondering what that exp, what that experience was like.

Kelsi Mayne: Um I no I was already when I worked with Tamara I mean it’s I feel like feel like it’s I’m still finding my artist side a little bit but I’ve I’ve definitely I’ve definitely like I feel more myself this year than I ever have And um it’s a really really cool Feeling to feel like like okay I finally know

Glen: Hmm.

Kelsi Mayne: I am Um but I’m still discovering new things about my voice every single day So it’s it’s kind of cool um to I don’t know just figure keep on learning and figuring

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: Um

Glen: Well that feeling, that [00:28:00] feeling is pretty significant, right? Like that’s the point when a lot of people, you know, probably start feeling like, okay, now this is actually a thing more, more than ever. Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: And I think I think like but it’s really helped I think doing all the different styles has also really helped me to um Be able to like all of my songs this year are pretty different from each other Like all or Nothing is a rocking song And then it goes to my second single was Breaking Bad which is country it’s like country kind of folk four on the floor train beat kind of thing And then Georgia Off my mind is uh my other influence which is like r and b and hip hop and stuff which is what I a lot of the [00:29:00] other stuff that I grew up on But and then this one someone who knows my next this latest single is very different from all of that Um but I still feel like it’s my sound Like at the end of the day I’m still the common denominator for all of it And and and it’s I don’t feel like I’m putting on a different act for it Any of them It just it just all it all feels like me and it and it’s all came from such a raw and genuine place each one of those songs And it’s but it’s because of my vast background in all of these different influences that have influenced of my style of writing And um I don’t know I wouldn’t have it any other way I think it’s just me being a DD But uh it’s someone asked me the other day they’re like what’s your style I’m like I don’t know DD country Like it’s like [00:30:00] all over the map But um yeah I

Glen: Well,

Kelsi Mayne: It’s it’s cool I don’t like to do the same thing twice so

Glen: well, well, that’s. Well, that sort of feeds into a question that was bouncing in the back of my head, which is the vocal styling on Georgia off my mind, which I think is like a, yeah, you’re right. Completely unique and stands out from the other songs, but very much in the pocket of, like you said, more of an r and b influence.

So is that just literally a one-off, or is that something that might appear more often because you did it really well and it definitely stands apart from the other things that you’ve done?

Kelsi Mayne: I got I got more coming I do and and uh we do we incorporate a lot of my different styles in our live show too So we do we do all sorts of covers but I have um I have some more original stuff that’s coming out I actually I also like to write for other people [00:31:00] so there’s a a song that uh I did Uh recently that um being shopped around to currently and uh Tyler Hubbard And so it’s it’s cool to see from different genres and stuff that are considering my songs So it’s cool

Glen: Okay. Um. I tend to just allow, if things are gonna bounce, I’m fine with the bounce around. So, because sometimes I get stuck on being like, no, I gotta go back to my timeline. But I, I have to like, jump on the things that I here, there, so if it’s being shopped around, you have a publishing deal with somebody or you don’t, so,

Kelsi Mayne: completely independent

Glen: okay.

Kelsi Mayne: but uh it’s just like knowing knowing different people in Nashville and then some of my co-writers have them sent out and just [00:32:00] like friends of friends and stuff and they’re just yeah

Glen: So like the normal trajectory for country, even though you said you’re a DD country and you have everything going on in there, but, but generally in country, and I’m gonna say this with, I’m gonna just let you know with a little naivete, because country in Alberta, it all just centralizes in Calgary the same way it does in Nashville in the States, right?

And, and they. I might make some of them mad right now. And there were some really good friends there, but I think that they consider themselves the center of country, probably in Canada. Um, and I don’t know if that’s true or not, but, and I don’t know if it’s only because the stampede happens there and it’s a world event, but, but it happens.

It is, and it is what it is. And they even have obviously a stage called Nashville North, and they, and rightly so, I think, consider themselves that. And

Kelsi Mayne: stage

Glen: it’s amazing.

Kelsi Mayne: times

Glen: It’s amazing. And, and, and nobody’s, nobody’s wrong. I should frame this for anybody [00:33:00] who thinks I might be making a criticism. Like amazing things happen in Calgary.

People gravitate there the ways they would to Toronto from all genres in this country, um, and make connections. But, um, so I guess one thing that I’m sort of curious about. In the whole publishing. So did you get on the typical sort of country aspiration thing and I’m, I guess a part of me is curious if it’s the same in Ontario as it is in Alberta where you start like having to get into contests and perform on contests and you have to start, uh, and you know, and, and radio is the biggest to country music probably other than pop of all the genres right now for still having a very viable top level influence on your success and opportunity.

And you start trying to have to do the things like push singles and go and do radio tours. Like you’re not even touring, you’re just visiting radio stations and talking. Um, and then eventually you start [00:34:00] making trips to Nashville and trying to meet people and get on songwriting things. Was all of that sort of standard for what started to become the pursuits for you as well?

Kelsi Mayne: Like coming to Alberta

Glen: No, just in general, like when you, like when you started pursuing this a lot more seriously, was that trajectory getting filled up with the same sort of activities and pursuits? I’m asking you, I guess I’m asking you to confirm my horrible stereotype. Uh, were all those things normal for you? Is those are things that happen for you?

Kelsi Mayne: Y you know what So I felt like so going definitely definitely going to Nashville is definitely like yes Like you have to if you’re gonna do country music you’re gonna need to spend some time in Nashville Um I also felt like going to Alberta for the first time and performing there The first time I went I was actually [00:35:00] I I did a tour We landed in Fort Mac and then we went down we had a sh some shows in we did like Edmonton and then we ended up in uh at the Big Valley Jamboree That was our last show So we just kind of made our way through the province and I felt like You know I could feel like I could say like I’ve made it in the country like as a country artist Like it was like a staple for the Albertans to accept me

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: you know from Ontario Like I dunno I wouldn’t really consider Ontario so country But um there’s definitely country and counties and and really like farming towns But it’s El Alberta and the the prairies is is you know that’s that’s the real deal So when every time I come to Alberta it’s just so cool to [00:36:00] see Them just I’ve always felt like they’ve just like welcomed me with open arms and I’ve I’ve always just felt like like it’s like another home to me So it’s really really cool And next on my bucket list is Texas so I want to be accepted once I’m accepted in Texas And I feel like I can be a true country artist but

Glen: You know what though? Um, that probably isn’t true though, Kelsi. ’cause then you’ll conquer Texas and then all of a sudden you’ll have your site set on the next big thing, right? Isn’t that

Kelsi Mayne: probably

Glen: we’re,

Kelsi Mayne: a Australia

Glen: yeah. Oh, you gotta go to Australia. My friends in the dungarees go there every year and they and country is killing in Australia, so Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: I

Glen: see, there you go.

Kelsi Mayne: I’ve had some invites so just gonna make the logistics

Glen: Texas and then Australia, or Australia and then Texas. Either way, one, one way or the other. You gotta get ’em both done. I mean, so you had a bunch of [00:37:00] these things. Uh, I mean, I, I’m glad to hear, well, first of all, I should say, I’m really glad how warm you feel when you come to Alberta. That, that, uh, that makes me really happy and proud, of course, as, uh, an Albertan.

But so these normal things that happen for people, which, you know, I guess I’m interested all the time, like we have to keep all these different balls in the air when you’re. Aspiring towards a career, right, of you’re trying to learn to be a good songwriter. You’re trying to learn who the right people you need to build relationships with.

You don’t know what comes first when you need to build a team. Do I get my publicist? Do I get a manager first? Do I get an an agent? And then you’re going to conferences and festivals and you’re trying to meet all these people, and then you’re entering some contests and either hoping to a, win some notoriety, or BB win some money to pay for the things that you have to do.

Um, and so all these things are happening in the aspiration. [00:38:00] I’m wondering in, in those times for you was, were you getting like a lot of validation from those, the same way you talked about coming to Alberta and getting welcomed? Um. Because there’s like a lot of hardship in all of that. I’m wondering which parts of those, other than coming to Alberta, were sort of giving you the things that you needed to say, yeah, I think I can do this.

Kelsi Mayne: Well one of my first affirmations was when I just moved to Toronto I I was able to go there because my brother was already living there but he he had a bachelor loft so like no rooms or anything It was very little privacy but bless his soul I just I didn’t even really ask I just said like Hey I’m coming I’m moving in with you And [00:39:00] like I’m I’m the youngest in my family so my older siblings are just kind of used to that but uh me just invading their space But um so he uh he just Let me camp out on I would have an inflatable mattress that I’d set up in the living room and um every day And it would deflate by the morning and but it would stare out at this big window cause it was a two level loft apartment and it had this huge window and just outside the window right after I had moved in there was a billboard that went up and it was Miranda Lambert playing boots and hearts And so I was like I was like what’s boots and hearts like I didn’t even know about it because living four hours away I Wasn’t aware of it at the time And then I looked it up and it was this huge festival and I’m like how come I’ve never heard of this before But um I looked up the tickets and I’m like well I [00:40:00] can’t even afford a bed right now let alone a a $300 ticket for for the the weekend or whatever it was And um and so I was like uh I was like you know what I promised myself I said if I go it’s because I’m gonna be playing And uh so a couple years later I was looking at tickets again I had a bed at that time Um and I I uh was trying to save up for it And then but I applied for the Emerging Artist Showcase and then um And then I heard back from em and they selected me as their performer So I uh didn’t have to buy a ticket that year although I was just this close to giving in and doing it But um but no I feel like that was like my first kind of affirmation and since um since I’ve gotten to play that festival five times now So it’s it’s really really cool [00:41:00] to to see that and to to kind of know where I’ve come from And you kinda have to always keep those in the back of your head You know like all all the accomplishments whenever you start to doubt yourself or get down you always have to go back to like the even like the little things that keep keep you going And um and then recently I had um chip Matthews who’s Luke Combs producer found came across me on Instagram and me a message and he said I think you have all the makings and I’d love to work with you one day And I was like is this is this the right account Like woohoo Um let me check my my calendar But um no but

Glen: Wow.

Kelsi Mayne: it’s just cool to have those those affirmations along the

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: and so since since we’ve um we’ve gotten actually really close and we’re uh getting ready to get into the studio in a [00:42:00] couple in

Glen: Hmm.

Kelsi Mayne: month now so yeah

Glen: So here’s, here’s what’s kind of cool. I’m gonna go jump right to a big thing I wanted to talk about. ’cause the, believe it or not, so much of what you said has set up a really interesting dichotomy for the second time in our conversation. because you sort of have described now a handful of, especially when you piece ’em together, it’s like a Hallmark movie set of like universe, affirmations.

You know, these two people two nights in a row when you’re singing this whole, like, you know, I, and,

Kelsi Mayne: billboard

Glen: and your tiny little

Kelsi Mayne: which

Glen: a apartment struggling with the billboard and the whole thing. And I’m not gonna pay, I’m gonna.

Kelsi Mayne: it was literal sign and a and a

Glen: Exactly, but that’s why I’m saying it’s so hallmark because it’s so on the nose. But,

Kelsi Mayne: know

Glen: um, we just need a little, you know, we need a little snow and a little stuff in there to make it a hallmark show. But, but the dichotomy is, and I’m kinda, I’m gonna jump a little bit on myself here, [00:43:00] but the dichotomy is like when I read your story, like you’ve had a lot of hard challenges to keep this career going, right?

So you’ve had these incredible signs, and especially the way you so perfectly articulated that you need to go back to those things, even the smallest things. which I guess is gonna be part of the answer I was probably gonna get towards asking in a question. But, you’ve had some really hardships.

Like you’ve, you started releasing singles in 2017. You released a bunch of singles, which is. A pretty common country music trajectory. So you’re obviously working your way up and you worked your way all the way up to 2020 of releasing of your first full length album, which is like so monumental for an aspiring artist, right?

Like, you literally pour your entire life into that release day, into that release show, and you literally did it on the month that the pandemic happened. which I can’t imagine. Yeah,

Kelsi Mayne: later

Glen: yeah,

Kelsi Mayne: because at that time we were like we don’t it’s it’s [00:44:00] probably gonna end like

Glen: yeah,

Kelsi Mayne: any day now or any week or whatever And so I mean it it took me three years to make so I was like

Glen: yeah,

Kelsi Mayne: wanna hang onto it any longer So Yeah

Glen: So I mean, that is, that that can’t be understated, like how devastating that is to an artist. I mean, there were so many. Artists of all levels who had put their life into something that either, their label told them, we’re not releasing it because there’s no use or, you know what I mean? Some, a lot of people don’t even know how much artistic work got scrapped altogether.

’cause you move on, like you keep moving on. And then that was then and now, you know, a few years goes by. So, I mean, you’ve had a couple of significant things that have happened. I mean, that’s a massive, like absolute devastation to a career almost as an aspiring artist. And like you said at the start, you’ve been going for, you know, pretty much 10 years of saying, I’m gonna go after [00:45:00] this.

That’s a long time to feel like an aspiring artist, right? You’ve, we lose like three, four years in the pandemic of feeling like we can really, really gain traction. And now you kinda, you started getting back into it, which we’re gonna get to talk about your single because of the subject matter, but.

You know, the subject matter of, you know, a long-term relationship ending, like a very long-term relationship, which was a, an engagement, am I right in saying that? Right. And just an engagement.

Kelsi Mayne: Yep We

Glen: Yeah. And, and timed with the loss of your grandmother and a friend. I think were very similar. Like these are all big, big things and when you’re feel like you’re always aspiring, I’ve always said to people, the easiest thing is to stop.

The easiest thing to do is always stop and the, and sometimes life tries to make it even easier for you. The hard thing is to keep going. So you’ve kind of indicated a few different things. It’s a big dichotomy for one, is like you’ve got some [00:46:00] hallmark moments of like, you should do this and then got these other big slamming things in your life.

So I’m curious, Kelsi, like what, what are the things that were happening in those times to keep you going?

Kelsi Mayne: Well I mean with the the pandemic there was I mean I I feel like a lot of these situations it’s like I don’t I didn’t really have a choice Like it’s for me there wasn’t any giving up I’m too stubborn to give up So it was just like okay well I’m gonna have to just do it regardless of of what happens So um I mean the the pandemic yeah it was it sucked for everyone And so I felt like I’m like at least I had I I was very fortunate to have my nursing degree to fall back on and and this film background and [00:47:00] kind of mix the two and then I figured you know whatever I can save up from this opportunity I can reinvest into my music whenever it it it ends And so I’ve been super fortunate to have that as my like that was my backup plan Um which never in a million years did I ever think that that would ever work out or be a thing Um my two random things intertwining But um and then uh I think but the definitely the hardest year of my life was last year with you know I released a wedding song and then uh a week two weeks later it was so I released it with my engagement announcement and then two weeks later I received a message from another woman uh saying she didn’t know I existed And so uh I packed up and I left And you know it’s always been my one rule And I’m like [00:48:00] how how can I continue to a wedding this So I’m not gonna do that Um so I moved out and then the next week I my best friend’s brother passed away I was actually kind of fortunate to also be that point I was back in my hometown So I was right there And so literally I got the message and I was at her house in three minutes So I I get like in a way I was kind of grateful for that And then the following week my grandmother passed away who was you know she was my biggest fan Like she she was actually the singer in the family and she gave it up because she had to raise five daughters But hold down the the house I feel like kind of lived vicariously through me So uh there’s like she when she after she passed [00:49:00] away they had uh we had to go through the house in the estate and everything and and my cousins and my family would all like say like oh we found a photo of you by the electrical box Like in all these random spots She had like kind of almost like shrines of me places And we just had this this extra connection And I’m I mean losing her was was very hard And then um the next day uh I had to open for Russell Dickerson and which is one of the biggest shows I’ve played to date Um and that was at Windsor Coliseum which is one of her favorite places to go was at the casino So it was like that And then um and then I had to sing the wedding song that I had just released too So it was like one thing after another after another but the one thing that I was also kind of [00:50:00] grateful for and I feel like it was like her last gift to me was the fact that I I didn’t have to sing that wedding song for him is I actually got to dedicate it to her instead So so yeah so I feel like the That kinda got me through it all And then um and I know that she would’ve wanted me to to play it Like she wouldn’t have wanted me to miss it And um it was an emotional and and it was it was hard too cause I had to just like put on a front and perform for people and they had no idea what was going on until I ended up dedicating it to her on on stage on the mic And uh could see it you could just hear the whole audience just go oh you know they were they they all felt felt for me too but um but it also just made it that more much more special Um so um, I mean it’s [00:51:00] life and and now I feel like I’ve I feel like I can truly say that I’ve lived All the things

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: life I think can throw at you and and I feel like that’s just what’s made my songwriting just jump to a different

Glen: Hmm. Yeah. Well, I mean that’s, thank you first of all for sharing all of that. Like, that connection with your grandmother is really beautiful. You know, hearing about somebody who obviously just absolutely treasures you, to have those pictures everywhere and just be your, your person like that is, uh, unbelievable.

And, uh, I can’t imagine doing that performance. So that’s an incredible story to hear. As well. and I’m glad you made a shout out to the casino in Windsor because that’s where my band would go to have, um, all you can eat brunch. ’cause that we’d get the biggest bang for our buck is the touring band when we stayed there.

Um, I love that. So, I mean, yeah. Okay. [00:52:00] I’m just, I’m just, I don’t always do this, but I just have to tell you listening to that story I think is really incredible and beautiful. This is why I do the podcast is the real truth of it. I just think it’s so apparent in 50 minutes of talking together right now that you come from this family with a long line of creative.

Like very outgoing spirits who have made sacrifices for each other and for everybody in their life. And, and to be practical and to be reasonable and to give everybody else around them a good life. I just really feel like that’s beautiful and that you really deserve this. You know? And that’s,

Kelsi Mayne: Thank

Glen: really incredible.

I think that’s just an incredible story and background to have. you know that it’s bigger than you, right? Like you have this whole family online and history and, and you don’t get to see that stuff. You don’t get to see it on stage. You don’t get to see it. You can’t read between all the lines and [00:53:00] songs.

You can’t, you don’t read it in the press release. So Umhow, I appreciate you telling me all that part of your story. ’cause I think it’s, really beautiful. So, um.

Kelsi Mayne: you

Glen: So I wanted to spend the last little bit, though, to be able to talk to you about your single, which, again, I really think is an interesting, uh, arrangement of your ideas and especially now hearing more about how you pulled together the things that happened in your life.

So what really struck me, so the song, someone who Knows which right off the bat, I’m like, I’m wondering how that phrase is going to even fit in. So I love the first time I listened to it, right, because like, where’s that gonna land? Right? Is well, like, what’s the meaning of someone who knows? And it’s very much from like, take it from me as somebody who knows these things.

And what these things are are a really interesting way that you wove essentially a whole bunch of cliches and colloquialisms into song lyrics, which on the surface could seem for [00:54:00] a lack of better term, kind of like easy low hanging fruit for songwriting. ’cause there are sentences, but. You’re talking about the end of a 10 year relationship finding out in the most horrific way.

You’re not gonna spell that part of the story out. You’re being an artistic songwriter. So here’s the, here’s the thing, Kelsi, I found so interesting is that you use all of these cliches or colloquialisms for the most part through the lyrics. I’ll even list some of them here that I wrote down, like, learn to walk before you run.

don’t put more on your plate than you can eat two wrongs. Don’t make it right if you ain’t got nothing nice to say, don’t say nothing at all. Like these are relatable phrases that we all know and grow up with. And you’re sort of just saying them one after another. Almost like you’re reading off verses in the Bible kind of thing.

You know what I mean? Like one after the other. so they can all feel very veiled. But then you have this ability to resonate with people through those, through real life context, which you [00:55:00] veil very nicely until you kinda land on that part where you say, and if you’re gonna make a promise, you better keep it.

And all of a sudden it’s, now we know what the subject matter is about in the song. So that’s all really well done. I assume though, that each of those well-known shared phrases weren’t just an assembly of ones to fill the verses. It feels like all of them really landed with you, that they land with you somewhere.

Right? Um,

Kelsi Mayne: Absolutely

Glen: when you, when you sing them, this is always my interest in an artist. When you sing them art. Are you literally every time still conjuring where they land, each of those ones, where you were what they meant. You know what I mean? Those moments that they relate to.

Kelsi Mayne: There’s there’s one line in particular in the second verse It is uh don’t if if you need some help don’t be afraid to ask And that one that [00:56:00] one like the the amount So after I went through what I went through yeah I cried I cried my own tears But I I feel like I held it together in front of everyone else for the majority of the the time but uh the amount of men that I had that cried to me last year whether they were friends or my ex or was more than what I’ve ever Had and and I’m just I I was like why why is this like and so I I actually also did like a deep dive into like male psychology cause I also wanted to learn more about like also my situation and like why that happened and stuff And so just kinda doing that that deep dive and just like realizing you know the the societal pressures on especially men and like the suicide rates with with men and how how much higher it [00:57:00] is and just kind of like realizing as a woman you know yeah it’s okay for for us to cry It’s more acceptable But like for men it’s society doesn’t really still it’s not really a thing that’s welcomed so much you know as like the norm And uh then just like mental health in general and and how there’s that pressure for for and women but but men to kind of like hold the fort down and you know be tough and to you know always have everything figured out And and but after last year like I threw I I thought I went through a lot but then like seeing the men around me kind of crumble too And it was it was it was an eyeopener for me And so that line for me if so uh if you need some help don’t be afraid to ask that That one uh really really [00:58:00] means a lot So uh every time that I sing that line I always think of the men in my life

Glen: Hmm.

Kelsi Mayne: that um have that I was grateful for that reached out to me even though I was going through my own stuff

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: Um but they were also felt comfortable enough to come to me um to help them too

Glen: Yeah. I mean, that’s really insightful. I, yeah, very insightful. I think it’s a. Very difficult time. I end up in these conversations with the women in my life a lot, and I try to frame it without making any excuses for anybody’s behavior. which is hard not to have it interpreted that way, but a hundred percent not making any excuses for people’s choices or behavior, but to try to explain that we’re in a time in the world where men have, for the most part been informed by a very narrow set of beliefs and narratives for a million years in their biology, it seems.[00:59:00]

And the whole world’s saying you shouldn’t be that way anymore. And you see, you see boys that seem lost and, and clinging on to very extreme values, right or left, um, right across the world. And you see, you see some incredible moments of vulnerability all over the place, but you also see a lot of.

Challenges and a lot of hurt and people hurting others as a result. So that’s sort of been my observation. I just think it’s really interesting that you, in such a painful time for yourself, did the work to sort of understand what was going on outside of yourself. That’s very insightful. I think that’s gotta be an incredible skill to bring to songwriting in the future.

I mean, that vulnerability. So here’s, here’s also what I loved about your song, Kelsi. I had to be able to tell you that what I think makes it such a good song is ’cause the art is to cleverly disguise. The real thing, right? I think that’s where art often lies, is that we find a way to [01:00:00] disguise the real gem in a place where nobody’s gonna be looking for it.

And, and I think that you have all these colloquialisms and shared phrases and stuff, uh, which somebody could, you know, on the surface be relating to or be looking for, what the next ones you’re gonna say, but in the middle of it, you drop your own in there, your own little truisms. and my favorite is, you can take your time, but don’t take it for granted.

Things are beautiful even when they’re damaged. And like that, that hits hard, right? Like that’s, that’s a real line about your own experience in the middle of these other things, which, you know, may land in different places, but, we often write cathart.

Kelsi Mayne: Yes

Glen: but you’ve been doing this long enough. I’m sure because your story is that you wrote that on a plane and the next day you’re recording it, which is a, a pretty unique experience.

So you know what’s going on in the business of all this at the same time that you’re writing Cathart a song, [01:01:00] and that’s so vulnerable. That line is so vulnerable. Did you have a sense when you wrote it and then when you’re recording it that I’m gonna have to repeat this now Over, over every night on a stage, I’m gonna have to talk about it to guys on their podcast for a long time.

Kelsi Mayne: You know I didn’t really think of it that way I guess Um which maybe I should have but or maybe I shouldn’t have cause that would’ve probably maybe discouraged me But there is a thing now with my music that I am conscious of at least like don’t the everything that I That I’m releasing this year has meaning like it means something

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: And uh I feel like you know because because I’ve I’ve now lived all the all the things I’ve experienced all the things I’ve lived life And uh I feel like before I was singing about [01:02:00] things but I didn’t quite understand or like I didn’t have that the all the life experiences yet So I kind of refer to my older stuff as maybe a little bit more bubblegum but I feel like my stuff now is just it’s all real And um and that’s one thing that I’m really conscious of is I only wanna put out things that actually mean something now on for the rest of my life And and so I won’t Uh you won’t see me performing anything that doesn’t mean something to me

Glen: Yeah. My other favorite thing, by the way, about this entire conversation is that probably five times you’ve answered the question right before I was about to answer it. So, because, um, one of my questions was gonna be what people’s response has been to your new song. ’cause I always think that’s really interesting when it’s so fresh to find out.

But you know, you’re, you’re telling me about all these, um, men coming up and being vulnerable [01:03:00] about your song and stuff. But, so I guess

I actually, I have a curiosity. I’ll ask this really quick. ’cause this is the other interesting thing about the industry to me, right? Is like, we’re talking about this right now. You just released the song. You know, you had this unique part of your story is how you wrote it and then recorded it the next day.

Like, ’cause you were obviously flying to do some recording with the producer and then you, you’re like, and I’m sure producers just love it when the artist shows up and they’re like, I have this fresh new one. And then they’re like, I thought we were gonna work on these other three. But, so I mean, the process from this happening in your life, with the ended relationship to writing the song, to now it’s released now in the world, like, what’s that time gap?

I think people would be so interested to find out like, you know, what’s that time gap look like?

Kelsi Mayne: It was almost uh a year just over a year ago

Glen: Yeah.

Kelsi Mayne: it was um was flying home so I only did that trip actually because it was like another [01:04:00] of twist of fate where Thank you air Canada you they went on strike and I got to cancel my or change my flight home for free and I redirected it through Vancouver cause it was in Edmonton or I was at the CC MAs in Edmonton that year So I flying home from that I got to redirect my flight through to Vancouver First stop off at my producer’s house because we were already talking about trying to record the song Breaking Bad which I released earlier this year too Um but Ryan Stewart is he’s a really talented singer or songwriter producer Um he was he’s worked with Carly Ra Jepson and oh man uh simple Plan and Owl City and Sean Desmond and Victoria Duffield So he’s very much in like the pop pop pop rock kinda world And then to kinda like Compromise and pull [01:05:00] em over into the country world We wrote Breaking Bad and uh and it kind of has that like dash of Austin kind of vibe to it So that’s that was the reason I actually persuaded him I said I said how about like a song kind of like a High Valley kind of song And so that’s actually what persuaded him to to pull him into the countryside the dark side But um then uh while I was there we had some extra time at the end of the recording session he said well you wanna like we can write something else and do you have anything you’ve been working on And I was like well that’s when I of reluctantly brought it up because I brought that song idea to a few other rights and I They all the passed on the idea And it was just something that was just kind of swirling around in my head Like take it from someone who knows if you’re gonna make a promise better keep it Like just [01:06:00] those those words were just kinda circling in my head for a few months And so I took it into a couple of the rights that I had and they they weren’t feeling it so I thought it was just maybe a bad idea And so but when I was on that plane I finally got to like flush it out and then and get all my thoughts kind of together And then I showed it to him and he was like immediately he just dialed right in

Glen: Hmm.

Kelsi Mayne: of just started playing on the guitar What I was envisioning in my head but I couldn’t get it out myself like I did I’m not a great guitarist still cause I had only learned you know not that long ago but um I’m still yeah So he he was actually able to like play what I was kind of hoping to come out So it was it was a really magical like one of those moments

Glen: back in the hallmark, we’re back in the hallmark side of, of, of your trajectory.

Kelsi Mayne: what it [01:07:00] it felt like for

Glen: Awesome. That’s awesome. Yeah. ’cause it’s, I asked the question about the time gap. I always think it’s so interesting.

Kelsi Mayne: sorry

Glen: no, no, no. You answered that question. You just gave me more. That’s all. You just gave me more. But the um.

I think what’s like of all the artistic practices, right? Like when you have to go out and perform a song every night, people want you to perform it like you just wrote it that day. Like, and they want you to literally feel all the feelings in it. Even if those feelings are a year a year old or 10 years gone, they want you to communicate that.

That’s really a skill of a performer, right? to be able to still conjure those things up even though it’s not the ones that are in the same moment as the spirit in which you often write a song. So that’s the interesting part of singer songwriter. but it sounds like you’ve got that part more dialed in all the time, which is pretty cool.

so looking forward, ’cause this song is really great and I’m hoping it does really well for [01:08:00] you. I’m wondering what sort of is the thing. That’s next. And I don’t know if that means, like I joked about the plan for 2025, whether this has all actually been in the plan or not, but, um, I’m wondering what the plan is next, whether it’s finding more producers that produce moments like that for you for some of your songs, or whether it’s Australia or Texas or, you know, performances like you played, you played essentially the big country circuit this summer.

which in my understanding, the way that often works is if you get booked, you get booked on all of them one year and then you’re probably off the next year. So you have time to work on new music. But um,

Kelsi Mayne: on just on those on those festivals

Glen: yeah, no, I know.

Kelsi Mayne: it’s not it’s not stopping And uh I’m I’ve got some big ones already started to line up for next year too so

Glen: Good for you. That’s awesome.

Kelsi Mayne: I’ll be around But no uh also recording right [01:09:00] now So we got I got another song working on right now that um kind of continues this with this story a little bit Um so uh but it’s this one is like I I wanna say my influence for it is more of like an Eric Church vibe So um so I have this one coming out and I have my players that recorded I a couple of the drummer and the guitarist actually just sent me their parts for it today They’re they just recorded parts of it in Nashville and um they recorded all my song all or nothing but they’ve literally done everything like toured with like I think um I think Dallas Smith oh uh Dean Brody it was one of the the drummers Canadian tour But he’s played on both of them have played on everything from like Russell [01:10:00] Dickerson to Kelly Kelsi Ballerini and So um Really excited to hear the guitarist parts but um so got that one Next we got uh a couple more that I’m recording with Chip Matthews Luke Combs producer I’m recording again with Ryan Stewart in Vancouver So I’m I have I have like 12 songs that I’m kind of sitting on Glen

Glen: Are we talking about an album then? Are you talking about another album attempt?

Kelsi Mayne: yeah Yeah So I’m gonna be doing recording a couple more singles releasing a couple more singles and then they’re all gonna go on one

Glen: Oh,

Kelsi Mayne: home

Glen: that’s awesome.

Kelsi Mayne: so

Glen: That’s gotta be exciting. That always feels so satisfying. I.

Kelsi Mayne: I am I’m excited to have a proper album release party cause I didn’t get to do one

Glen: Mm, no doubt. So is this like, it’s like when people had their wedding anniversaries or their birthdays or something during COVID, they didn’t get to celebrate for whatever reason. So is this 2026 we’re talking?

Kelsi Mayne: I have I have two I have [01:11:00] two missed anniversary dates Glen I have one for my supposed to be wedding and then one for my supposed to be outfit at least I gotta get a real one in one of them

Glen: Well,

Kelsi Mayne: two in I

Glen: you do. I you wanna know, I’m not trying to play one upmanship. I missed my 25th wedding anniversary plans and my 50th birthday the same year. so

Kelsi Mayne: Oh

Glen: yeah, so that was like. Pretty shitty, but, uh, only to say like, I totally understand what it feels like to have been like, this isn’t fair at all. So that’s a 2026 thing.

We, we can look forward to a full record. Hope it all comes together.

Kelsi Mayne: Yeah that’s what it’s looking like So um we’ll see if uh you know kind of having some talks with like labels and stuff too So we’ll kind of see what the if the timeline changes but um looks like 2026 Yeah

Glen: yeah. Well, I mean, it’s, [01:12:00] it’s worth keeping up in the air if you’re. Doing business. Right? For sure.

Kelsi Mayne: Yeah

Glen: Yeah. Well, Kelsi, it’s been fantastic to talk to you. Like I said before, um, my favorite thing is, especially when I find like I talk to my friends sometimes, uh, like I’ve, I’ve got a lot of them to come on this thing.

I love finding out something I didn’t know, or I just like telling old stories, but it’s still one of my favorite things. Just when somebody’s story comes together for me like yours has. And, uh, I really appreciate your own truth telling and, and vulnerability and being able to share your experience and your history leading up till now.

And, um, it’s been really great.

Kelsi Mayne: you’re now you’re someone who knows

Glen: Now I’m someone who knows. Oh, that was perfect. Oh my God, that was such a great delivery. anyhow, thank you so much for spending this hour with me. I appreciate you doing all this, and I wish you all the success for your single and all of the great things you have coming up ahead.

I look forward to [01:13:00] seeing and hearing your name all around when you, especially when you come back to Alberta.

Kelsi Mayne: All right Can’t wait Looking forward to it

Glen: Okay.

Kelsi Mayne: Glen

Glen: Thank you so much, Kels

 

Glen:  Um. Yeah, why don’t you, if you can just not close your thing as soon as I, I’m gonna hit stop, but you don’t as long.

I’m always ready actually. Hi. Okay. Getting comfortable? Yep. Take two. We’re trying the car again. Um, this is for episode 23. My favorite number by the way. What? Yep. It’s uh, actually I just saw somebody who posted that they were having their Jordan birthday, which is their 23rd was Michael Jordan’s. Oh number.

And they were like, it’s my Jordan birthday. And I’m like, I’ve never heard that. Me neither. It was the first time I’d ever heard it. And then here you’re like, this is my favorite number. 23. Everything’s coming up. 23. Everything today is 23. And if you’re into numerology, you’re gonna be texting me to say, go buy a lottery ticket.

Um, anyhow, that’s the way it goes. Yeah. But Kelsey, Maine, uh, episode 23, Ontario Country Singer. [01:14:00] Um, though she would claim to be a lot more. Then country. Yeah, a whole lot of things. But we are in the middle of midterm, first midterm season of the new year. So this is a short and sweet post fame with Alexi.

Um, ’cause I’m stealing her away from Yes, I was in the trenches, stress of the trenches and now I am out for five and now she’s out in, in the car for five minutes and um, yeah, that’s probably the best. Yeah. Okay. Um. You said you had a couple things. I’ll let you go first. Well, yeah, because they’re things that I was like, oh, I could mention these, but they’re things that I’m like, Hmm, I wanna mention this, but you know, I don’t wanna elaborate on them the whole time.

You don’t want what? Like, elaborate, like, I just wanna be like, Hey, did you like, this is cool. And then that’s all that needs to be said sometimes. But, um, that was a big setup, but, okay. Whatever. No, um, no. I was just gonna say the, the main. A thing that I find [01:15:00] kind of like cool and like maybe niche about her, um, is that she went from being, and correct me if I’m wrong, a nurse.

Yeah, of course. And in that of like the nursing field of um, which is female dominated, um, to being in the, and yes, she’s more but the country music scene. Yeah. Um, which is male dominated. Yeah. And like left a secure job. And I just think it’s interesting. It’s like she loves a take your job to pursue music, which is like a big risk.

Yeah. But it’s interesting that that risk and like that transition was from like a female dominated space to a male one, because I think it almost makes it more daunting and I think it’s really rare and that’s what makes it like niche. Yeah. To go from a field, like there’s not a lot of female dominated spaces in terms of careers.

So the fact that she left one. Yeah, I mean, that’s something I didn’t even clue into, which is probably ’cause I’m a dude, but, [01:16:00] um, like I didn’t even clue into that. I mean, obviously the, yeah, I mean obviously the parts about like the aspirations for music or whatever. Anyhow, like yeah, I didn’t, I just think it’s interesting.

No, no, you’re, you’re absolutely right. Like, um, I mean there’s that part about the security thing, which. Like, her and I had talked at kind of length about me realizing like it would kinda ran through her whole family. Mm-hmm. Which is the main thing I was gonna make a note of. ’cause um, that part really kinda hit me, but I didn’t sort of clue into that.

’cause there was different parallels I was finding in her story. Yeah. Not parallels actually. I used the word dichotomies, which is, I don’t even know if I used that word. Right. So then I got a little cringe with myself in the middle of it. But, um, just that like. Like, while one thing was happening, kind of a very different thing was also happening.

Yeah. At the same time. Seemed to be a part of her family story and her story all the [01:17:00] way through, which I feel is actually probably quite relatable to a lot of people if they stop and think, you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. About their own story. But, um, yeah, I mean, I, I didn’t, I’m gonna be honest with you. I actually.

Uh, well, two things, two reasons for this. I didn’t dip into some of that. One was, ’cause once we got going, it didn’t come to mind and there wasn’t even a space. For it. Do you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Like, I kind of made a joke in our conversation that like for like five times she answered a question before I asked it.

Like shortly. Yeah. Like just in her, the way she was talking, and then she would end up giving me the answer that I knew I was about to ask a question about. Yeah. Um, so things kept rolling. But I also didn’t dip into even the gender stuff because I think you and I had a talk before of like, it’s been sad.

It’s been sad, and it’s not like it doesn’t need to keep being said, but I felt like it should. It needs to be natural. Do you know what I mean? So [01:18:00] if that’s not part of her conversation and her story, uh, the same way, like I didn’t need to like pry in and be like, are you sure there isn’t a horrible, like, run of sexism in your story?

Um, do you feel oppressed? Yeah. Do you feel oppressed? You can talk to me about it. No, I, I didn’t feel the big need for that, so, um. I was really happy how the flow went, but mm-hmm. Like really, and I don’t often do this, which I did in the conversation, which is just sort of stop and give her like my heartfelt thoughts at the moment.

Yeah. Which is like she kept talking about. Uh, her experiences, but I just realized that like she had this, these parents, and she described their life being actual creative people mm-hmm. Who didn’t really get to fully pursue their creativity because they needed to do it to pay the bills and to take the [01:19:00] responsible version of the job of, of.

Of, of a creative skill, which I really obviously relate to. Yeah. Because like I’ve figured out how to take sort of a design sense and all that stuff and turn it into a career to pay the bills and, um, but it can come at you make sacrifices, right? Mm-hmm. And I just realized when she started telling her sweet story about her grandma, that her grandma made sacrifices and here she’s like, made a bunch of these practical, safe choices, but then was trying to.

Break out of that and actually pursue the creative choice. And, and I was just like, ah, she really deserves, it just feels like she deserves, like a lot of people do that. Mm-hmm. And I don’t have a ton to go on to say that to her. I just met her. Right. But it just felt like, you know, this is part of her whole family story.

Yeah. And like, it would be really nice to see. It really, [01:20:00] really come through for her. I think everybody’s been making choices in her family for other people. Yeah. Anyhow, uh, that kind of hit me, and I’m not gonna lie, I felt a little emotional when I was saying that to her. Um, yeah. But it’s a special thing.

Yep. Anyhow, that’s, um, that was a great conversation and I love meeting new artists. I felt by the end of it, we were friends, which is, uh, always the goal. Yeah. Says a lot about her. Yep. Um, but in order to stay friends with you, I’m gonna stop the podcast at seven minutes and then um, we’ll carry on. And then we can still be friends.

We can still be friends then. Yep. I won’t be a grump. Okay. Well you’re allowed, but it’s okay. Thanks. Okay. Thank you. Okay, I’ll charge my mic this time. Okay. Back to the car, back to the house from the car. Love you. Love you. Bye. Bye.