Nashville-based, P.E.I. raised rising country artist Alli Walker, who was recently announced as the opener for Shania Twain’s Toronto show on July 16 at The Theatre at The Great Canadian Casino Resort. This marks Alli’s second time sharing the stage with Shania—following their viral moment at the 2024 Churchill Music Festival, where Shania invited Alli onstage to showcase her bagpipe skills, captivating millions online.
With a unique blend of traditional country sounds and pop/rock sensibilities, showcased in hits like “I Like Big Trucks,”“Creek,” and “Dirt On Us,” Alli has quickly become one of the most exciting voices in the genre.
You’re set to open for Shania Twain in Toronto this July—your second time sharing a stage with her. What does this full-circle moment mean to you?
It’s mind blowing to be honest. The first time I opened for Shania was during a festival, so she didn’t necessarily have as much input into who the acts were before her, but the fact that she actually chose me to join her tour means SO much. As a Canadian female in country music trying to break through, she is the ULTIMATE inspiration and GOAT.
That viral moment at the Churchill Music Festival where Shania invited you onstage with your bagpipes was unforgettable. Can you walk us through what was going through your mind in that moment?
Don’t mess up, and don’t say anything stupid. Thankfully neither of those happened…I don’t think. The night before on the flight I thought about how I could just meet Shania at the festival because she runs a pretty tight ship. So the next morning I had my manager send her manager a video of me playing ‘Any Man’ on my electric bagpipes from the hotel room. I guess she loved it. I got to meet her at her meet and greet and invited me to come onstage with her during that part of her set. I had asked her stage manager what key she plays it in incase they changed it and he said “don’t worry you won’t actually play the song she’s just gunna chat with you about it”, low and behold I went on stage and the whole band came in with the song after I played the beginning melodic part on bagpipes….and it was the wrong key. She whispered to me “go figure out the key and come back out”, but it wasn’t that simple. I thought my chance was over…it took me a bit but I figured it out and ran back out on stage for the ending, thankfully! She then asked if we could do a duet while on stage, in front of thousands of people. A DUET? On the spot? How? I panicked but thankfully I thought quickly on my feet and said “why don’t I teach you my song, ‘The Whiskey’s Gone’, it’s super simple” she got it right away, loved it, and got her singers involved and we sang the chorus through 4 times. It was surreal to have THE Shania Twain singing MY song in front of thousands of people, including my whole family who were in the audience!
Your blend of traditional country with pop and rock vibes really sets you apart. How did you develop that sound?
I’ve loved and sang so many genres throughout the years that it is an honest mash of who I am in my core. I grew up loving Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, Our Lady Peace, Nickleback, and then also Taylor Swift, Gretchen Wilson, Keith Urban, but also grew up playing bagpipes and have a heavy Celtic influence. Nowadays I listen to folks like Morgan Wallen, Hardy and Jason Aldean, so the music I’m putting out now is a true representation of who I am as an artist.
Songs like “I Like Big Trucks,” “Creek,” and “Dirt On Us” have connected with fans in a big way. Which of your tracks feels most personal to you, and why?
Those particular three songs were mostly written for fun, not necessarily overly personal compared to some of my other songs, but I think people have connected with those because music is an escape for most people, and they could see the genuine side of those songs that I was just looking to write and release some cool, fun, and different songs! “I Like Big Trucks” would be the most personal because I grew up loving trucks, I was a big tom boy, my dad always loved RAM’s so my first vehicle was a RAM truck. I wanted to write a song about it and we actually used Sir Mix A Lot’s song “Baby Got Back” as a fun interpolation so instead of “I like big butts and I cannot lie, you other brothers can’t deny” it’s “I like big trucks and I cannot lie, all y’all rednecks can’t deny”. We ended up getting Sir Mix A Lot on it as a songwriter. I think people loved that concept!
With nearly a million social media followers and millions of views on TikTok, how do you balance the demands of online content with your music career?
It’s…difficult, not going to lie! I am on my phone 24/7 either posting, replying to comments, or creating content, on top of writing, recording, managing a whole team of people and other life demands. Thankfully I enjoy content and I like doing silly trends or just having fun with it to mix in with my ‘marketing’ videos of my music online. It really is the biggest tool to get my music out there so it’s a necessity really.
Your duet with Gretchen Wilson, “First Time Living,” has gotten a lot of buzz. What was it like collaborating with such a legend of country music?
Incredible! Gretchen Wilson was such an icon in my eyes in my late teens as I decided to do this for a living. I related to her badass attitude and rock inspired music. It was one of the first concerts I’d ever seen. So when I was thinking of who I’d want to sing and play the role of the ‘mother’ in this song, she was the first one who came to mind. My manager sent her team the voicenote worktape I made the day I wrote it and thankfully she listened right away and said “absolutely” right away! She resonated with the song instantly and thought I’d written it just for her because it was so close to her story! It was so cool to be in the studio recording with such a legend. The fact that it all came together so seamlessly was a blessing!
You’ve been recognized with nominations and awards from both the Canadian and British Columbia Country Music Awards. What do those accolades mean to you at this point in your career?
They mean everything. Because I’ve never been recognized for anything before. I’ve been at this for 16 years now and most of those years are spent with zero recognition, just grinding without anyone noticing. It’s a tough business with a lot of rejection and many years wondering why the heck you chose this path, but you do it because it’s a passion. So to finally get nominated and win awards is so rewarding! Having your peers and industry folks finally see the hard work you’ve put into your craft is incredible!
From opening for Luke Bryan to headlining festivals, your live shows are gaining momentum. How do you prepare to bring your best to each performance?
Lots of practice! We put a lot of work into our live show, so once it’s time to actually get on that stage, I always try to remind myself that this is the part we get to enjoy! When you see fans who come from far and wide who bought a ticket to see your show and know all the words to your songs, it’s so rewarding.
You’ve introduced a lot of people to bagpipes in country music. How did that unique instrument become part of your sound?
I started playing bagpipes when I was 12 at The College of Piping in Summerside, PEI. It was kinda normal to either step dance, highland dance, snare drum, or bagpipe where I’m from so it didn’t seem odd at the time, but apparently it’s unique to everyone else! I was actually going to be a professional bagpiper for my career, being offered a scholarship in bagpipes to the University of Arkansas, but when it came to decide on what path to follow, I decided to move to Toronto to further my career in singing and songwriting instead. Fast forward a decade, I was in a writing session in Nashville and it came up that I played bagpipes, and she was like “we need to write a bagpipe song!” I thought to myself “how the heck do we write a country / bagpipe song?” But then we birthed one of my most popular songs “The Whiskey’s Gone” and the beginning of my fans continuing to ask for more bagpipe songs! I never thought the bagpipes would be a ‘thing’ but every time I perform with them folks wanna hear more, so I’ve now released two more songs with bagpipes on them “Ride It Out” and “I Saw The Devil” and added a whole medley in my live set. It’s super fun and different and thankfully sets me a part!
Looking ahead, what’s next for you after the Shania show—new music, a tour, or maybe a full album?
A) I’m touring all the time, it kind of never stops, which is so fun! I have also been writing towards an album, I have hundreds of songs, and am writing more every week so we are just trying to narrow down which will make the cut and hopefully get into the studio in the summer to record them all! I can’t wait to finally put out another full length album! We are also hoping to put together a cross Canada tour in the near future so stay tuned for that!
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Website: https://www.alliwalker.com
