Newfoundland’s Paige Penney earns CCMA nomination

Newfoundland-born, Nashville-based country artist Paige Penny is having a breakout year.

It’s shaping up to be a breakthrough year for Newfoundland-born country artist Paige Penney.

“I had my first single go to Canadian Country Radio and chart all the way to number 34 making it a top 40 hit, which was so cool and ended up landing me my first ever CCMA nomination,” said Penny in an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter, who splits her time between St. John’s and Nashville, is thrilled about first Canadian Country Music Award nomination.

“I saw my name and I just dropped the curling iron, dropped my phone, started screaming.”

She’s up for Innovative Campaign of the Year after building buzz online around her single ‘Southern Draw(l),’ featuring w/FRNDS.

“As a Newfoundlander, I was born to go up and talk to random strangers on the street. So, I think doing it on Broadway was no different. We got their authentic reactions to the song and posted a bunch of it online, made it a series, and it ended up getting good traction.”

Penney is also celebrating the release of her latest single ‘Carhartt to Heart.’ The song pays tribute to working-class roots and family ties. Penney’s grandfather owned an auto body shop and was known for wearing Carhartt gear, a memory that helped shape the track.

“One of the things my grandma would say when he would come home from work after a long day was, ‘Don’t come in with your work boots on,’” she said.

“But sometimes she would let him come in because she missed him so much. And I added that line in the song, like ‘You can come in with your work boots on.’”

Adding to the momentum, Penney recently teamed up with acclaimed fellow East Coast songwriter and producer Gordie Sampson for a release she’s excited to debut in the near future.

“He’s just a genius. Working with him was such an honor.”

With new music on the way and national recognition now under her belt, Penney couldn’t be more excited about the future.

“It’s been so amazing to see all this hard work paying off.”