If Johnny Reid had the chance to live his life over, Canada's multi-platinum singer-songwriter would have liked to be become "The Dog Whisperer."
"I have a real love for my dogs," Reid said, with a grin, on Monday before a live studio audience on CTV's Canada AM.
Thankfully for his fans -- including the multigenerational group that heard his performance on Canada AM -- Reid's passion for singing won out, turning the Scottish-born, Canadian-raised star into one of Canada's top recording artists of the last decade.
In the past six years alone, Reid has won two Junos and 22 Country Music Awards.
His soulful blend of country, pop, rock and blues has helped sell more than one million albums and sell out concerts from coast to coast. Those numbers are likely to escalate as Reid releases his new album "Fire It Up" on March 12 and launches his next cross-country tour on Apr. 10.
Yet fame hasn't diminished that sense of nervous anticipation Reid feels whenever a new album lands in stores.
"Any time you put your heart and soul into something, you feel a sense of vulnerability," Reid, 37, told Canada AM co-hosts Marci Ien and Beverly Thomson.
"I wanted this album to reflect the last couple years of my life. The last couple of years have been absolutely incredible," Reid said.
Featuring a buoyant mix of uplifting tunes and inspirational ballads, Reid's latest effort conveys a more adult-contemporary feel to listeners.
From the celebratory title song, "Fire It Up," to the closing ballad "Till We Meet Again," Reid's muses on life and love in the 12 songs on the regular CD and 15 numbers featured on the album's deluxe package.
In every case, Reid's overriding message is that life is a journey, not merely a destination -- lesson he has come to appreciate through his marriage to Jennifer Reid and their four children: Justin (10), Tyler (9), Dylan (5) and Ava (2).
"This was an invitation to people across the country to fire it up," said Reid.
"Everybody has a fire. We are all given that as a gift," he said.
"I just felt deep inside that this fire needs to be celebrated. Let's celebrate life. Let's celebrate our time together. And above anything else, let's celebrate each other and the differences that we have."
