Tegan & Sara. Jann Arden. Marianas Trench. Carly Rae Jepsen. Sarah McLachlan.
And now, Cochrane’s Lexi Strate can add her name to the list of this country’s pop powerhouses who have earned a nod from the Western Canadian Music Awards.
“It’s just kind of crazy to me that I’m kind of in the same league as them,” said the excited 26-year-old.
Last week in Regina, Strate took home a glass trophy and the title of Pop Artist of the Year (formerly Pop Recording of the Year) at the 2016 WCMAs. It’s the first major award for the soulful singer since she started her musical journey as a tween – teaching herself YouTube songs in her bedroom and performing since the age of 12.
At the awards ceremony, Strate’s parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle and boyfriend were in the audience to support her, and having everyone in the crowd made for a long acceptance speech.
“I had quite a bit of thank yous,” she said with a laugh. “To have all my family there – they always travel to my performances and any kind of thing that’s going on. I never forget that.”
Strate said she hopes the WCMA recognition will help to further strengthen her career as she continues to book gigs, record music and share her sound with the world.
“What I’m always after is creating a buzz and making sure I’m always getting my name out there to new people, new fans – and I could tell that’s what this did for me right off the bat,” said Strate, adding many musicians she hadn’t met before offered up congratulations after the win.
“All in all, it was a really, really awesome night.”
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