BioHow many high school teachers do you know with purple hair and a lip piercing? Well Amy Nelson is not your average music teacher. Amy is a rising star in the Canadian music scene. She doesn’t have a lot of time to spend in the classroom these days due to her busy schedule of songwriting, recording and performing.
Amy didn’t grow up in a musical family. She didn’t touch a guitar until she was 19, didn’t write a song until she was 20 and had never played with a band until she was 21. But music was always a large part of Amy’s life. As a young girl, she took private piano and voice lessons, sang in school productions and performed with a musical theatre group.
Following high school, Amy earned a degree in Music Education at the University of Regina. She then planned a trip with the members in her band to Australia. The day before she bought her airplane ticket, she was offered a full time teaching position. It was a tough choice to make, but she followed her heart and got on the plane. This is where her second love began, travelling.
When Amy returned to Canada, The Canadian Country Music Awards weekend was taking place in her hometown of Regina. She decided to attend, see the new artist showcase and learn what the association was all about. She absolutely loved it, so she bought a ticket to the one of the industry seminars. After Amy attended one of the songwriter cafe’s, she knew that was exactly what she wanted to do. So she went across the street to the mall, bought a dress and got ready in the Sears bathroom. She showed up at the fanciest event of the weekend, the industry awards gala an hour later and began networking with people in the music industry. Many of these people she can now call her friends.
Amy spent the next year training with a vocal coach in Edmonton, developing her brand, applying for funding and booking shows. All of this hard work paid off as Amy was quickly welcomed into the Saskatchewan music industry and nominated for both the "Female Vocalist of the Year" and the "All Star Band - Keys" awards at the 2009 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards.
Amy's self-titled debut CD was released in April 2009. Produced by Brad Prosko of B-rad Studio, the songs feature talented musicians such as Murray Pulver (Doc Walker), Travis Switzer (Deric Ruttan), and Jayson Brinkworth (Aaron Pritchett). This CD showcases six original, radio quality songs with full production and was funded in part by Sas
kMusic.
Since then, her career highlights have included playing shows in Mazatlan, Mexico and opening for top Canadian artists such as Terri Clark and Aaron Pritchett. She also performed at the Canada Day Celebrations at Trafalgar Square in London, England. On stage, Amy has tons of energy and an infectious sense of fun. Audiences can’t seem to get enough of her!
Amy has had many achievements in the short time she has been pursuing a career in the music industry. She was excited to be recognized for her success in 2009 with five nominations at the 2010 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards. She recently started her own booking agency, Fialova Entertainment, which she uses to book all of her shows. Most impressive is that she has accomplished all of this success without any help from a manager, agent or label. This determined attitude and work ethic, combined with the success of her debut CD, has helped Amy to advance her career while she continues to gain recognition across the country.
