Kat Harlton
Multiple award-winning country band Nice Horse recently received a Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) award nomination for Video of the Year for their fabulous music video for “High School”.
In addition to being nominated as a band, the members of Nice Horse were also all individually nominated for CCMA Awards. Brandi Sidoryk (vocals/bass) was nominated for Bass Player of the Year, Tara McLeod (electric guitar) was nominated for Guitar Player of the Year, Katie Rox (vocals/banjo/acoustic guitar) was nominated for Specialty Instrument Player of the Year, and Krista Wodelet (vocals/drums) made history as the first-ever nominee for Drummer of the Year.
Alberta-based, Nice Horse formed years ago by four close friends from very diverse musical pedigrees during one unforgettable girls’ trip to Hawaii. What began as a part-time lark, has now become their full-time focus, and since then, they have quickly established themselves as one of the most buzzed-about and fast-rising groups in the Canadian music industry. Together, they have garnered significant accolades, including 6 CCMA nominations as a group, eight Country Music Alberta Awards, and won the 2021 Western Canadian Music Award for Country Artist of the Year.
Nice Horse has also toured as direct support for legendary artists including Tom Cochrane and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and performed at big-time country music festivals like Boots & Hearts, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Big Valley Jamboree and the Calgary Stampede.
I had the opportunity to chat with Nice Horse about their CCMA Award nominations, career highlights and what to expect for the rest of 2022.
Kat: Nice Horse was recently nominated for a CCMA award for Video of the Year for “High School”. Can you talk about the excitement of finding out you were nominated for this award?
Nice Horse: It was so exciting to be nominated for Video of the Year. We always put a lot of work into our music videos and this is the first video that we made entirely ourselves, and our first CCMA nomination for Video of the Year.
Kat: Can you tell us a bit about the song “High School” and the music video created for it that led to the CCMA award nomination?
Nice Horse: “High School” is a song that we co-wrote with Jason Blaine (we wrote “Cowgirl” with him too). When it came time to think of music video ideas, we really struggled because of the pandemic and being unable to be together. We had already done a cartoon video and needed to come up with something else that could be done that was unique but didn’t require us to be in a room together. That’s when the idea for “High School” was born. Krista and Brandi conceptualized and directed the video. We shot everything ourselves, using green screens and our iPhones. We reached out to friends and fans to submit their old high school photos to be included in the video and Krista and Brandi put the whole thing together. We are so proud of the final result and the recognition feels really great.
Kat: In addition to being nominated as a group, you were also all nominated individually for CCMA awards. Brandi was nominated for Bass Player of the Year, Krista was nominated for Drummer of the Year, Tara was nominated for Guitar Player of the Year, and Katie was nominated for Specialty Instrument Player of the Year. How does it feel to be recognized individually for these award nominations?
Nice Horse: It was incredibly special that all 4 of us ended up on the final ballot for our instruments; that hasn’t happened to a band since “Prairie Oyster” in 1991. It was really nice to be able to celebrate this together. It’s also worth noting that Krista made history as the first female drummer to be nominated. She’s so badass!
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far and what have you learned along the way?
Nice Horse: We have been fortunate enough to have so many highlights, it’s really hard to pick just one! Our very first CCMA nomination 4 years ago was definitely a moment I’ll never forget, that was a moment that I felt like we were really doing it, so to speak. I don’t know how else to describe that. And having these musician nods definitely feels the same way, I think I cried. To be recognized by our peers as being musicians worth mentioning is a feeling I’ll never forget.
Kat: What can we expect from Nice Horse for the balance of 2022?
Nice Horse: We have a LOT going on and can’t wait to share it when the time is right!
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Website: http://www.nicehorsemusic.com