Five Minutes With: Calgary Country Artist Cheyanne Summer

Cheyanne Summer is a performer seasoned in the motifs of her roots. Country, rock, and blues come naturally, and her forays into the music world thus far have embraced those traits and woven them into a seamless idiosyncratic blend that has positioned her as a fresh take on vocally focused and pop-sensible songcraft. As her career and reach build, 2022 will be remembered as the year Cheyanne Summer broke out. In that year she reached 100,000 streams for Circles and 180,000 total on-demand streams, including #21 on the Local Pulse: Riga Spotify chart in June and #132 on the R&B/Soul: Norway Apple Music Charts in March. In June 2022, NEXT Magazine listed Cheyanne as one of their top 40 essential artists to watch at NXNE (North by Northeast), where she played in Toronto’s Wheatsheaf Tavern, the oldest bar in the city. Closer to home, Circles was nominated for Alternative Recording of the Year at the YYC Music Awards in September, and Cheyanne sold out a headlining showcase at Junction in Calgary not long before being selected to play at the Canadian Country Music Awards Off-Country showcase at Cold Garden Beverage Company. Her most recent notable performance was at the 2024 Calgary Stampede Window On The West stage. One of her recent releases “Please” debuted at 34 on the iTunes Canadian Pop Charts and spent months on the CICC (Canadian Indie Country Countdown) reaching #2 on the chart.

Cheyanne Summer

Name:

Cheyanne Summer

Genre:

I have a hard time putting myself in a genre because I pull inspiration from so many different types of music. That being said, these past few releases have been a Pop / Country vibe with some Doo-Wop inspiration.

Founded:

2021

# of Albums:

I currently have 6 singles released with my debut EP set for March 2025 followed later in the year with my debut album!

Latest Single:

Wrong Side of my 20’s

Latest Video: 

Favourite musician growing up:

Besides 90s country, growing up I was obsessed with Hillary Duff. I went to her concert twice (even got to touch her hand), got her CD box sets and would watch Lizzie McGuire all the time, I wanted to be her. In my pre-teen years, I went through an Avril Lavigne tomboy stage. I went to her “Best Damn Thing” tour with my mom and we got to rock out on the floor seating.

Favourite musician now:

Right now I am really vibing with Meghan Moroney. I love her sassy writing style and her raspy voice. I wish I had gotten to see her this year at Stampede.

Guilty pleasure song:

“Without Me” by Eminem is my all-time favourite “go-to” song!

Live show ritual:

I usually try and get a decent sleep in, like 8:30 or 9:00ish, before taking Moose (my dog) for a walk at the dog park. It helps wake me up and feel relaxed knowing he can be left alone for a bit and selfishly I need the walk to help clear my head and get ready for the day. Then I try to eat a big breakfast in the morning, depending on the time of the show, and then I’ll get a booster juice on the way to the venue to make sure I have had something to eat. I always seem to grab a Booster before shows, Strawberry Storm is my favourite. On the way to the venue, I like to listen to my setlist randomly to ensure I know the words. It just helps me build some confidence in knowing that “I got this.” After I have done all that I like to just chill in the backstage/green room area and collect myself and my thoughts and make sure I am fully hydrated.

Favourite local musician:

There are so many talented musicians in Calgary in many different genres so this is an incredibly hard question and I can’t name a single favourite!

EP or LP?

EP. As an artist, it’s a way to express who we are in a small project before going for a full album.

Early bird or night owl?

It honestly depends on the day. I can be an early bird or a night owl, but I would say most of the time I am an early bird. I don’t like being up late if I don’t have to, I would rather wake up early.

Road or studio?

I prefer being out on the road playing shows. Not only do I get to enjoy playing live music but being on the road helps get my creative juices flowing. I do a lot of writing and thought-processing when I am on the road.

Any shows or albums coming up?

My latest single “Wrong Side of my 20’s” was just released on November 22, 2024

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | Threads | Facebook | BlueSky | Youtube | TikTok | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

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Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

I have been trying to eat out and explore Calgary a little bit more however, being celiac limits the places I can eat at. I miss onion rings and I found a really cute place called Blue Star Diner that has a lot of amazing gluten-free options!

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

One of my favourite streets in the city is the Inglewood/Music Mile area. It is always so full of life with different types of art everywhere you turn. You can walk into a random store or cafe and can walk right into a songwriter’s circle or something.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

I love North & South Glenmore Park, especially during the fall. The Glenmore Reservoir reminds me of home, Kelowna, and is such a huge park that is extremely diverse in what it offers from biking to canoeing or going on the S.S. Moyie Paddlewheeler at Heritage Park.

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

My favourite music venue in the city is Bella Concert Hall. It is such a beautiful location and the sound is prestine. I did, however, go to the Blues Can the other night and I fell in love with it. The people that were there and the intimacy the venue provided for the artist was amazing.

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Long & McQuade hands down is the best music store in the city. They have everything you could need, the people that are working there are extremely knowledgeable and the fact that you can rent basically anything in the store is crazy.

 

About Emilea Semancik 161 Articles
Emilea Semancik was born in North Vancouver. Emilea has always always wanted to work as a freelance writer and currently writes for the Vancouver Guardian. Taking influence from journalism culture surrounding the great and late Anthony Bourdain, she is a recipe author working towards publishing her own series of books. You can find her food blog on Instagram: