Two York Region residents are competing in the 2019 Chevy Music Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase.
Both Amber-Jo Bowman and Justin Tyler qualified for the Top 8 who will be performing at festival and competing for a grand prize Aug. 8 to help turn their musical passion into a career.
The winner of this competition receives a prize package valued at more than $25,000 and includes:
- A trip to Nashville, Tenn.
- A professional songwriting session
- A professional photoshoot
- A single release with Warner Music Canada
Bowman is a country/folk singer-songwriter from Stouffville. She currently works at the Campus Church Bayview in Aurora as the creative arts director.
"The journey to get to this point as a country artist has been a long road of having to not listen to self doubt but have faith and passion to keep pursuing my dreams," Bowman said. "I spent a lot of years keeping music to myself and being shy, after recording my first album a few years ago, I felt inspired to keep working harder and chasing my dreams. If I can do what I love and relate and connect with other people through music then it’s all worth it."
Bowman released her debut EP Gravity in 2018 and has said that music has been part of her life for as long as she can remember.
Tyler is a country singer-songwriter from Thornhill who began pursuing his musical career in 2011. He is a Billboard Country Top 80 artist and his first three singles received millions of streams. He released his debut album All About Her at the end of July.
"My journey has been a long one. I’ve been posting covers on YouTube and Instagram for years, and it took about a decade to finally release my first single," said Tyler. "It charted on the Canadian Billboard Country chart, and I’ve been writing and recording ever since."
The Boots and Hearts festival takes place in Oro-Medonte Aug. 8 to 11. Fans attending this year’s festival can support Bowman and Tyler as they perform live on Aug. 8 on the Front Porch Stage. You can also share your support on social using #ChevyMusic and give a little hometown love as they take part in this exciting competition.
— Contributed by Julia Jolly
