Orillia country singer set to head home in all-Canadian tour

Orillia's Parker Graye is launching a new all-Canadian tour with a stop in Orillia.

While she’s making waves in Nashville’s bustling country music scene, there’s nothing quite like performing in front of a hometown crowd for Parker Graye.

The singer/songwriter from Orillia is getting set to take to the stage of one of the Sunshine City’s most iconic venues – the Orillia Opera House. Itching to get back out on the road, the upcoming tour is a play on words based off a recent successful single.

“I feel like I need to get on the road and play some shows,” Graye said to CTV News. “My last single, Halfway, has been doing really, really great and I was like, well, this isn’t like really a tour. It’s kind of a tour! So what if I called the tour the ‘Halfway to a Tour’ tour!”

In addition to a show in Orillia on May 9, Graye will also be making stops in Toronto and Vancouver, all cities she says that have played a pivotal role in her musical journey.

Graye most recently performed in Simcoe County during the Boots and Hearts Music Festival in 2023.

“Sometimes it feels like you’re performing in front of your peers, so it can be weird, but it’s equally really exciting because, you know, you’re walking into a room of people who just, like, truly support you,” Graye said. “I’ve grown so much as an artist even since ‘Boots’. And so it’s really cool to be able to come back.”

Last year Graye released her debut album, Lyin’ to Me. Graye was also in the Top 8 of SiriusXM Canada’s 2024 Top of the Country competition in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Awards.

Now as she embarks on this latest journey, an all-Canadian tour, she’s looking to bring a little bit of Nashville back home to her. Instead of a traditional opening act, the shows will feature what’s known as a writer’s round.

Parker says writer’s rounds are the ‘lifeblood of the city,’ providing songwriters an opportunity to platform their latest work with an explanation and performance.

“there’s so many incredible country artists in Ontario and in Canada,” Graye said. “It’s all females for Toronto and, are really...friends of mine who I think are fantastic and who are doing really cool things. So the show will open with the writers round, and then I will come on.”

Graye says fans can expect to hear much of her existing catalogue mixed in with some of the new songs she’s been working on in recent months, all in a paired-down format.

“I just want it to be different. My whole thing is I want everything to be a bit of a vibe and to like, bring an experience to people. So hopefully I have achieved that with this show.”

There are even plans in place for a possible album later this year.

For tickets you can click here.