Quinn River has been singing and performing since she was just a little girl. Whether it was entering into small singing competitions or belting out the national anthem at local rodeos, this Winfield, Alta. local always knew she was meant for the stage.
“I’ve been singing ever since I can remember, it just came naturally to me," says River. "Same with songwriting, it was always how I expressed myself ever since I was little."
Now twenty years old, River is making her own music and sharing it with the world. Her newest single, Young Love, came out on July 22 and has been gaining traction ever since it dropped.
“I’ve gotten lots of good feedback from everyone that has listened and I have been on a couple of radio stations,” says River. Her song was featured on CBC radio and CFCW out of Edmonton. “That was pretty exciting because it was my first time being on the radio.”
This is an exciting time for the young artist as she pushes her career forward. Not long ago, River was a student studying opera at the University of Alberta. She describes the program as intense and very busy. At the end of her first year of the opera program, she knew she had a choice to make. Either continue on with her degree program, or take the time to seriously pursue writing and recording her own music.
"I was getting more and more passionate about my own music and about songwriting and specifically country music so after my first year there, I decided I needed to choose between focusing on opera or doing more of my music."
River chose to pursue her own passions and jumped wholeheartedly into making it happen.
"My goal was to perform more and to get into the recording studio so I spent a lot of time writing songs and figuring out what I wanted my music to sound like and once I came up with a handful of songs that I was happy with, I was looking around for a place to get back in the studio and I landed on MCC Studios in Calgary," she says.
River showed up to the studio with her songbook and an eagerness to record. She worked with a producer to really fine tune her sound and then brought in the studio band to record. After five long days in the studio, River left with several songs ready to roll.
Jukebox Blues is her next single and will be dropping on September 6. This song has a bit of a retro vibe, or a honky-tonk feel, according to River. It has a great two-stepping rhythm which she hopes will get folks out on the dance floor and enjoying this upbeat tune about someone who is done with the sad songs and looking to a brighter, happier future.
”Now that I have these two singles I’m really just going to keep promoting them as much as I can and I’m going to keep pitching them to playlists and radio and hope to get on some bigger radio stations and some bigger playlists and just keep getting the word out and getting more listeners," says River. "I’m also writing new songs all the time and I plan to get back in the recording studio a couple more times this year and just keep pounding the pavement really.”
You can listen to Young Love and Jukebox Blues on all streaming services.
"I'm on every streaming service that you can think of. You can pretty much find me anywhere you listen to music.”
River also will be performing later in the fall at Spanky's Saloon in Calgary if you want to catch her live. Follow along on her social media and don't miss anything from this up and coming local artist.
