Kirkness explores pop country in new album

Jason Kirkness said his third album, What Got Me Here is drastically different than his first two. For the Kleefeld born and raised country musician it’s his first foray into what he calls pop country.

And since the album’s release in November, people have embraced his new approach to country music.

“People seem to really enjoy this particular brand of country music at the moment,” he said. “That’s always fun to connect with the crowd and certainly hearing them sing the words and being in the moment with you… that’s a special feeling.”

Nationally celebrated for his country sound, Kirkness was awarded Male Artist of the Year in 2023 at the Manitoba Country Music Awards. His single “Anywhere the Night Goes” spent 18 weeks on the Canadian Billboard Top 50.

Yet this album almost didn’t happen.

“We were going to work on a different direction, kind of a folk-roots Americana type of record,” he said.

But studio time reserved for April of 2020 had to be discarded because of the pandemic. “I didn’t end up going down to Nashvile that April or even that year,” he said.

Instead, he connected with a label who wanted a pop-country record, a style he initially had doubts about.

“I didn’t necessarily agree with it at the time,” he said, but that view began to change when he saw the reaction to his new single “A Little Party”.

The second song he released was “Anywhere the Night Goes”, a song that his label asked for by the end of February.

“I released it on March 1, cause you’ve got to be little bit rebellious,” he said with a laugh.

Both the album and the song titled “What Got Me Here” is reflective for Kirkness but is also something he said listeners will enjoy.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about the elements and the people and the life events that got me to this place,” he said.

Despite his love for music, you won’t catch Kirkness listening to it in his car.

Instead, that’s an opportunity for him to work on his craft.

“I like to have the stereo off in the car so I can catch up on phone calls or sit quietly and then the ideas start coming to your head, gets in your mind or you start thinking of a phrase or title,” he said.

After asking google if that song title already exists, Kirkness can move on to develop it.

Although his best estimate is that he writes about 100 songs annually, very few of those are ever heard on the stage or recorded in an album.

Songs must resonate with something he’s trying to say as an artist, be the type of songs that will get support from his label and be music that fans are going to want to listen to.

“It’s rare that a song is all of those things,” he said.

Kirkness also wants to have fun, something that’s noted in the song “She Loves My ATV” on this album.

“I certainly did want to have some kind of comical songs on this one,” he said. “That’s a side of my personality that was not on the first two records.”

Another side also comes through in other music, explained by Kirkness as “straight up romantic”, a style that was absent from his first two records as well.

Creating an album isn’t all about trying to top the charts.

“I would love it if every song was a huge hit but some of them, “She Loves My ATV” (for example), that’s not going anywhere on the radio, but it was really fun to make.”

As the 46-year-old singer matures he’s changed his performance schedule, recalling that from his early 20s until about 2018 he played at least 100 times per year, and up to 200 on his busiest.

While promoting his second album he toured for 600 concerts, playing three to seven times a week.

He said they would head to Inuvik the week before Halloween and play eight shows a week for six weeks. Then it would be back for Christmas, arrange a New Year’s Eve show and hit the road again by Jan. 8.

“That went on for many, many years and I’m glad that part of my career is over.”

“It’s changed drastically,” he said. “I think it’s better.”

Now his touring begins in March and comes to a close as winter hits.

“I don’t like travelling in the winter anymore,” he said. “When we had to do it to make a living it was begrudgingly.”

A tour supporting his latest album will start in spring in Victoria and Kelowna and will travel east, with anticipated stops in Winnipeg and Kenora before ending with a couple of east coast dates.

A veteran of the stage, Kirkness admits nerves are more of an issue for him now than ever before, and that’s because it’s become more personal.

“When you’re playing in a packed bar and you’re doing “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” it’s nothing too intense. It just feels like work,” he said. “Now if feels like showing artwork to an appreciative audience.”

“When people are there to hear my songs rather than ignore the band for the dance floor, it’s a different experience,” he added.

Kirkness laughs as he admits to using just a little liquid courage to get out on the stage.

“One shot of Crown and get out there,” he said of his solution.

As he plans his fourth album and looks back on a lengthy career of music, it’s tough to believe that music was not his first choice.

“I actually started culinary (training),” he said. “I was going to be a chef, but I didn’t really like the hours. A lot of those guys start at 7 a.m. and they’re not done until midnight.”

While in culinary school, Kirkness had the opportunity to go on a tour with a band for two weeks. He left the program and joined the tour, and the rest is history.

“I dropped out of the culinary program and then I just kind of never went back,” he said.

That love for food continues to be a passion. Kirkness said he plans trips to places like France or Japan to learn more about culinary arts and to taste the food.

He said while on tour he always tries to get to his favourite places like a specific restaurant in Montreal.

“The chef there makes a tuna tartar with foie gras that’s to die for,” he said.

Planning those trips ironically requires him to keep his day-to-day menu simple.

“At home it’s rice and beans so that I can build up the savings account so I can travel for eating,” he explained.

His music travels have taken him across Canada and into the U.S. including the WICD Hoedown in Detroit.

That allowed him to open for Tyler Ward and The Band Perry and take in shows like Uncle Kracker.

But not all brushes with celebrity are positive.

“I hung out with Kid Rock for a few minutes,” he said. “I loved his music until I met him.”

Kirkness chuckled as he considered his statement. “I still love the music, but I don’t need to meet him again,” he added. “I don’t know that he knew he was at a concert.”

When Kirkness reflects on his career, it’s with a sense of satisfaction.

“I feel really happy with everything that’s happened in my career, and I feel really lucky that I’ve got to do all the things I set out to do and that I still get to be here doing it,” he said.

He does have concerns about the industry though, saying country music is in kind of a rough spot.

“The listenership is higher than it’s ever been, but the music is probably not as good as it’s ever been,” he said. “More and more artists outside of the genre are allowed to call what they’re doing country music, even though it doesn’t look or sound like it.”

Staying true to oneself is important and that’s why you won’t see Kirkness performing in a cowboy hat.

That was solidified for him when he played the Manitoba Stampede in Morris nearly 15 years ago, when he was asked by a cowboy if he wore the hat. The cowboy asked him if he rode horses and when told he didn’t, encouraged him to leave the hat behind.

“If a cowboy is telling you to not wear the hat because you don’t ride… I took that to heart,” he said. “It’s not a costume.”

Kirkness continues to explore other talents using his time for documentary film creation and screen writing.

That will continue in time away from the stage.

“I’m kind of just exploring all sorts of creative outlets,” he said.

Touring information and details about the album can be found at jasonkirkness.com.