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Katie Pruitt is one of the few country artists like herself from Canada, yet unlike a lot of artists from the other side of the border, Pruitt is very much embraced in her own country.
“People really don’t know [how popular I am] yet,” said Pruitt at the Grand Ole Opry back in January, “but I’m getting to know that I’m not just a Canadian singer.”
Pruitt, an Ottawa native, recently debuted her new single, I Used to Hate Sundays, as well as a video for it at the Grand Ole Opry. She plays Opry shows in the US a lot, and playing in Canada has a completely different feel when she goes back home.
“Every artist feels cut off from their fan base,” Pruitt explained. “The fans are behind you 110%. It’s a different country on the coasts, and it’s a different country to them, especially on the Lake Ontario border.”
Pruitt’s writing mentor is a fellow Ottawa native, Randy Houser. While Pruitt would be well-known in Canada, he could never really count on being truly recognized in the US. Houser uses his unique American drawl to sell records, and Pruitt believes American singers like Gretchen Wilson, Taylor Swift, and Charley Pride are the ones who have better music in the genre.
“Taylor Swift is definitely my thing,” said Pruitt, “She has really cool vocals, and it’s so cool to see artists getting signed, and getting more exposure than they ever would have been five years ago.”
With her new single and videos, Katie Pruitt is getting to show Canada what it’s missing.