Madeline Merlo performs at the PNE on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. as part of the Mosaic Music Series (pne.ca).
Sipping on Honey Jack for the first time a few months back, a light bulb went off in singersongwriter Madeline Merlo's head when someone she was with commented on the drink, describing it as "strong" but "sweet."
"As a person, I feel like you should be strong but you should also be sweet. It's OK to stand up for yourself but you can also be kind about it," says the rising country music artist.
Merlo continually finds herself drawing on personal experiences for her songs, and that exchange went on to inspire her new single, "Honey Jack," released last week.
Merlo penned the work while in Nashville, Tenn., with the help of "two amazing women," Jesse Walker and Stephony Smith.
"We just had a blast writing the song and laughed the whole time.
When we were picking songs for the new round of music, 'Honey Jack' always was at the top of my list. I just felt like I'm 21 and I'm young and I really wanted to show a fun side of me," she says.
Merlo recorded the single there, with the help of producer Matt Rovey.
"It turned out better than I could have hoped - I'm really, really excited to have it out," she says.
The Maple Ridge-based artist has been spending more and more time in Nashville these days as it's home to her label, Open Road Recordings.
"I go back and forth to there quite often. I do most of my writing and recording over there. It's just where country music lives, so it's a really inspiring place to be. I'd love to move there if I could. I'm trying to make that happen sooner rather than later. It's amazing. But there's also a lot of talented people in Canada as well so when it comes to writing or recording. .. I kind of like to have a bit of variety," she says.
Merlo is currently back in the Lower Mainland and is looking forward to three upcoming B.C. shows. This weekend, she's set to play the Sunfest Country Music Festival in the Cowichan Valley, running from July 30 through to Sunday. Merlo, making her Sunfest debut, will take the mainstage tomorrow night, just before country superstar Keith Urban.
"I'm over the moon about it. Keith Urban is one of my all-time favourites. He's so talented, so to be opening up for him is just a dream come true," she says.
On Monday, Merlo will bring her band to the West Vancouver waterfront as a featured performer at this year's 25th annual Harmony Arts Festival.
"I think it's such a cool festival and has something for everybody," she says.
Merlo will take the Millennium Park stage at 8:45 p.m., as part of the festival's PARC Retirement Living Garden Concerts series.
Merlo is also slated to perform at the PNE on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. Apart from live shows, Merlo has been busy with a project entitled Decades, a Throwback Thursday (#TBT) video cover series on CMT. ca. Over the course of two months the artist will be releasing a weekly video on the site. Each video will see her perform a well-known song by an artist from the 1940s and beyond who has inspired her.
"Old music is such a staple of what I do and I'm such an old soul and love it so much - I have a young fanbase and I'd love to show them some of the songs that I grew up listening to. I think your playlist on your iPod or whatever really explains who you are and the type of music that you love to listen to, and for me I love to make, so I take inspiration from old artists and new artists and all genres," she says.
As of this week, Merlo has released four covers, Dolly Parton's "Jolene," Shania Twain's "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?," Magic!'s "Rude" and Patsy Cline's "Walkin'After Midnight" included.
As far as recording goes, Merlo is hoping to have a new LP or EP released in the coming year, a follow to her July 2014 eponymous EP.
"It's a toss up between (those) two but an actual body of music will be coming for everybody really soon," she says.
As well, fans are encouraged to keep an eye out for a release date for a movie she just wrapped, recently filmed in various locations in Ontario. Merlo was cast as the star of Country Crush, a country movie-musical. She plays aspiring singer Nancy and saw a lot of herself in the character, even though her onscreen character was a tad "cooler," for example, "she can fix cars," laughs Merlo.
"She really, really loves music and is willing to work really hard and do anything she can to do it. I get that desperation," she says.
Co-stars on the project include actor and country music artist Jana Kramer, Degrassi: The Next Generation's Munro Chambers and Sophie Tweed-Simmons (Gene Simmons: Family Jewels).
While Merlo had done a little acting as a kid as well as some musical theatre growing up, the project was definitely out of her comfort zone.
"When I got the call that they were filming a country musical and were looking for an up and coming artist to star in it, I was kind of apprehensive at first because I knew there would be acting involved but I felt like, country music, that's what I do, I can do that. So I sent a tape in and they just thought that I was right for the role and we filmed about a month ago and it was the longest hours and most incredible experience I've ever done. Really quite a departure from what I'm used to though. There was a lot of acting and it was a challenging experience for me, but I learned a whole lot and had so much fun. It was, like I said, one of the best things I've ever done," she says.
Country Crush is in postproduction and filmmakers are vying for an early-2016 release.
An additional feather in Merlo's cap is the recent announcement that she has been nominated for a 2015 Canadian Country Music Association Award for Rising Star, marking her first CCMA Award nod.
"It's crazy, I honestly can't believe it. It's such a prestigious thing to be nominated for, especially nominated among the other people in my category (whom) are so talented. It's a dream come true, it really is. That's it for country music in Canada, they're kind of the big deal.
To be nominated for an award like Rising Star, it just means that you work really, really hard all year and they're just giving you a little bit of recognition that maybe you're on the right track and they see some potential in you. It means a whole lot to be nominated," says Merlo.
This year's winners will be announced in Halifax, N.S., Sept. 13.
