Jason’s brand new album, “What Got Me Here”, was just released at the end of November and has been gaining impressive traction across Canada. Jason has had quite the remarkable career as a completely independent artist – his song “Anywhere The Night Goes” from his latest album spent 18 weeks on the Canadian Billboard Top 50, and four on the Billboard Active Indicator Chart in the US. His Fall 2024 single, “My Vegas”, was written with JUNO award winner, William Prince.
Can you tell us about your journey into country music? What drew you to the genre?
I came by country music pretty honestly. I grew up in rural Manitoba, Canada in a small town called Kleefeld. We have the pretty standard huntin’, fishin’, loving every day kind of thing. BMX bikes in the summer and that kind of thing. Country music told the stories of our life in the lyrics and it sort of fit in with everything growing up. It was the music that everybody listened to. I can’t imagine not hearing dust on the bottle on a Friday night.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your style?
I love Dierks Bentley and Eric Church. Keith Urban’s golden route was the big record. It made me think I could make country music. I love Steven Wilson Jr. and I loved a lot of 90s rock alternative or “grunge” I guess it’s called now. I love all genres of music and just wanted to listen to great songs, regardless of the production or style. A great song is a great song!
What inspired you to pursue music independently rather than signing with a major label?
Throughout the years of my career I have been signed and unsigned from a bunch of labels and I find that for my style and timeline of making music it is definitely easier to do so with a great team and great management rather than a label that has a schedule and other artists that they have to make room for. I’m a very strong independent person to begin with and I love working with my team that I have now of people that I really love and respect.
How do you approach songwriting? Do you start with lyrics, a melody, or a theme?
I’m a lyrics first kind of person. The lyrics have to hit in a way that resonates with my life before getting too far into the process. From there I am open to experimenting with the sounds, chord progression and overall vibe of the track till it fits with the lyrics
What has been the most challenging part of being an independent artist?
The most challenging part of being an independent artist is the lows. When you are between bookings and when you are between albums and when you are between singles it’s very hard to stay motivated and focussed. It’s also hard to allow yourself time to relax as you can feel like opportunities are passing you by if you don’t stay working. Frequently it’s in this downtime that your most creative ideas will come.
Have there been times when you doubted your path? How did you overcome them?
I think doubting your path is definitely the most common theme of being an independent artist as it would be easier just to get a job and live that life. The unfortunate thing about that is that you will never know the highs of the success that you can have when you and people you care about work hard to accomplish your dreams. People around you are the most important thing in overcoming because it’s those people who love you that want to see you succeed and they keep you focussed on your dream.
What strategies have you found most effective for promoting your music?
Social media is a good avenue for promoting your music but it’s not the only one. Having a great relationship with your fans through an email chain or text messages are really important. Having private events with a small group of fans is one of the best ways to make them feel appreciated and have you be able to share your music to a wider audience through their enthusiasm for your project.
Can you share a memorable story from one of your live shows?
I absolutely love playing live. I want to think that every show has been memorable in its own way. Some of the bigger shows have been very memorable including Boots and Hearts and Dauphin Country Fest because of the incredible high I get from the adrenaline and from the crowd. WYCD Hoedown in Detroit was pretty memorable because Kid Rock was hangin’ backstage. Most notably, being able to sell out my hometown show was pretty cool and the whole night was just such a vibe.
What was it like recording the “What Got Me Here” record? How did this album come together?
The concept for the album was pretty quick and I knew that I wanted to tell a whole bunch of stories that relate back to the people I have been instrumental in my life over the last bunch of years. My albums usually come together by Sean and I picking a bunch of the songs that we feel would most likely make up a great album and then starting to put together the loose tracks between my space in Winnipeg and the Hilson Studio in Nashville. We both have our own studio spaces so no one is watching the clock and we can take as much time as we need to to make the records as cool as possible. From there we kind of get an idea of what the singles might be and what songs may go to radio and then we choose the songs that we may want to stretch our creative inspiration on. This last record took a little bit over a year of working on again off again throughout the year around both of our busy schedules.
Who was involved in working with you on this record? Any shoutouts to the players on this record?
Sean and I make most of the record ourselves and play most of the instruments. Admittedly Sean plays most of the instruments and I just give opinions. Josh Kaler played the steel and slide guitars. I do some acoustics, banjo and programming and Sean is a great drummer, bass player, electric guitar player and plays literally everything well. I do the vocals in my space and just try to stay as objective as possible.
What do you hope this album conveys to those who listen to it?
I think the album came out really great and was pretty close to what we wanted to say both artistically and lyrically. Hopefully, the listeners will take away that this is a great party record, something they could put on in the background, or something that you can listen to with headphones in and they’re both equally valuable experiences. A couple of the songs are great driving songs for the car and I hope that everyone listens to the 11 tracks and picks some favourites.
What kind of feedback do you get from fans who have connected with this record or had a song impact them in a deep and meaningful way?
“Anywhere the Night Goes” on this record is probably the biggest song of my career. It was definitely the one that got most people listening to me because of the amount of exposure that it had on the radio. We did 18 weeks on the Billboard top 40 here in Canada. I think “Right Where I Want You” is the most meaningful song and the one that connects the most on an emotional level. It’s the most romantic song that I’ve ever put out. Not surprisingly “What’s Wrong With Me” connects with a lot of fans because I think we all go through those moments of self-loathing and introspection with a sense of appreciation for our loved ones and their ability to look past our flaws. And finally the title track “What Got Me Here” seems to be the one that everyone is connecting with the most because there has been a lot of disappointment in the way things have gone in the modern world despite our best efforts and hard work. It’s a very positive song and how it relates to two people being together and doing the best in these difficult times.
We love live music. Where can fans see you on the road soon?
I will be on tour in Western Canada for March and April and hope to be in southern Ontario as well as the rest of Canada throughout the summer. Finally January ’26 I will be in Australia.
