Elyse Saunders, an up-and-coming Canadian artist who’s originally from Peterborough, Ontario, is quickly making her mark on the country music scene. Fresh off an electrifying performance at the Sauble Beach Party and a move back to Nashville, Tennessee, Elyse continues to captivate audiences with her powerful vocals, heartfelt songwriting, and undeniable stage presence. Blending modern country energy with authentic storytelling, she’s proving to be a rising star whose passion and drive set her apart in a growing wave of amazing new talent.
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Spotlight on Business: Tell us a little about yourself off the stage. What was it like growing up in Peterborough, Ontario?
Elyse Saunders: A lot of my weekends growing up in Peterborough were spent at my Grandma and Grandpa’s farm. I have a big family on my mom’s side, so we always had family gatherings on the weekends. It was a blessing always to be surrounded by family and to have your cousins as your best friends. I also spent a lot of my youth camping, spending time at my friends’ cottages on Kawartha Lake, or attending Peterborough’s Music Festival. Peterborough has a lot to offer, and it was definitely a great place to grow up.
Spotlight on Business: What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not writing music or on stage?
Elyse Saunders: I’m pretty simple when it comes to time off. I love ‘me’ time, spending time with my friends and family, catching up on my favorite TV shows, right now I’m watching one of my favorite reality series [Love is Blind]. I also enjoy traveling and adventure, but equally love spending time at home with my cats and husband. In a career that outputs a lot of energy, whether it’s business, being on stage, or meeting fans, it’s nice to just be able to shut off once in a while and not have to worry about the daily career decisions, the makeup, hair, and the outfits, and just relax a little bit.
Spotlight on Business: When did your passion for music begin? Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that inspired you to get into the music industry?
Elyse Saunders: I’ve always loved music since I was little. I grew up singing in choir, at home, writing songs in my diary, and dancing in recitals. My mom was an at-home hobby songwriter. I remember I was around four at the time and thinking how special it was to see her writing and playing songs in the kitchen – it inspired me to start writing my own songs at a young age because I thought it was a beautiful way to be able to express my emotions. I was always the kid on the block who would create at-home performances and plays with my friends.
My very first solo performance was at my high school for an idol contest. It was a scary moment to sing in front of my peers at that time, but when I did it, that’s when I knew I wanted to do more of it. It was kind of like a turning point, putting myself out there in a vulnerable way and seeing how people responded to it. I was like, okay, I survived, I could do this!
Growing up, I listened to everything from country, pop-punk, pop, and rock, but my biggest musical influences were Shania Twain and Taylor Swift; I love everything about them. I think it’s amazing to see how they built their careers and not only have become icons making a positive influence, but also amazing businesswomen who have transformed the industry with their sound and brands. They made a huge positive impact on me as a person and as an artist.
Spotlight on Business: Can you tell us about your journey from Peterborough, Ontario, to Nashville, Tennessee? How did you know it was time to make the jump, and what has the journey to here been like?
Elyse Saunders: My very first mentor, Cyril Rawson, is the one who officially inspired me to take the jump into the music industry when I was still in high school. We connected in my hometown when he discovered me through singing competitions, and helped me to find my own voice as a professional singer in the studio, and introduced me to the Nashville scene. We recorded my first project when I was still in high school, and from that moment on, I realized that having a career in music could actually be a reality for me, and I knew this was what I was meant to do and wanted to do professionally. I went on to spread my wings and have been going back and forth to Nashville ever since, self-developing my craft, songwriting, performing, learning the business, and never looked back.
Spotlight on Business: Tell us about the first song you wrote, the first gig you played, and when you discovered that you might want to make a career out of music.
Elyse Saunders: I wrote my first song when I was around six years old. I remember writing about sunshine, being outside playing with my friends, – I always loved nature, the birds, the butterflies, and all the beautiful things. Songwriting came pretty naturally for me.
My first paid gig was in front of 10,000 people at a hometown festival called Peterborough Musicfest, and I had opened up for Deric Ruttan. I went from one extreme to the other – singing competitions with no pay to opening in front of this incredible artist for a lot of people. It was a huge testament to myself at the time that if I could get out there and sing in front of 10,000 people at just 16 years old, then I could do anything. I came alive on that stage, and to see the impact that my music had that day made me feel like it was my purpose.
Spotlight on Business: Not only are you an amazing performer, but you have also written songs for other artists? With whom have you collaborated? How many songs have you penned for other artists to date? How do you determine which songs you keep and offer to other artists?
Elyse Saunders: It’s a combination of two things – sometimes when I’m writing for myself with a group of collaborators, and we get to the end of the session, I might love the song, but know that it’s not necessarily for me, and another artist would be best suited for it. I’ll put those in the bank so I can pitch those to other artists and have had cuts that way. But, there are also times when I get to sit down with the artist, get to know their story, their voice, and write for them about a topic that they want to write about and it’s my favorite way to get songs cut. So, it can go both ways when offering songs to other artists. I know when a song is written for me by how much it lights me up.
I’ve had about twenty cuts with other artists, most are up-and-coming artists. I’ve written for some great talent, such as country artists Tyler Lorette, Kendra Gabrielle, as well as Dave from Faber Drive, but also pop and pop-punk artists like Suckerpunch!
Spotlight on Business: Tell us about the first time you ever heard one of your songs on the radio. What song was it? What ran through your mind?
Elyse Saunders: The first time I heard myself on the radio, I was home with my family, and we were waiting for it to come on the radio. It was my single called Nobody’s Watching, from my first project. It was so cool to hear myself for the very first time on my local hometown station, KX 105 New Country FM. It felt amazing to have their hometown support and to know that they’re one of our major country stations in Canada, and once they’re on board, other country stations follow, which led to that song being the first time I charted. I grew up listening to the radio and hearing everyone I looked up to, so as a young girl from a small town, hearing myself come on after Martina McBride at the time was very cool. It’s a pretty exhilarating feeling when it happens, even now after hearing my music on the radio so many times. To know a piece of your heart is out there, connecting with listeners and hopefully helping them through something happening in their lives, is pretty special.
Spotlight on Business: Do you prefer performing live or recording? Why?
Elyse Saunders: They’re both amazing, and they’re both such a completely different version of myself and of my art. In the studio, you see your baby come to life. Then, to bring that to the stage with your band and perform live in front of a crowd, and feed off their energy and emotion, there is nothing else out there like that. Getting to finally play the songs live on a stage is pretty electric and probably my favorite.
Spotlight on Business: You’re very busy touring and performing at festivals and events. How has this helped you as an artist? How is the experience different for you as an artist when performing for 45,000 people at festivals like Boots & Hearts and for a couple of thousand at Sussex Fundy Fest?
Elyse Saunders: Performing on so many different stages has allowed me to discover who I am, my sound as an artist, and the type of songs I create. I’ve been fortunate to perform on small stages with a couple of hundred people, and larger venues like Boots & Hearts Festival for 45,000 country music fans. I think it creates flexibility as an artist to connect with the audience in various settings. The big difference when performing for a smaller audience versus a bigger one is the energy. It’s all about creating a show and moments for each type of audience. The bigger audiences are usually there to party, whereas smaller settings allow you the moments to show more personality and be able to talk a little more. Both serve their purposes, and I love both equally. My goal is to always bring moments for the audience, no matter what size the audience is, and leave them with something memorable. The experience is seeing people happy and being a part of the songs with us, whatever size it is, is the best part.
Spotlight on Business: Talking about festivals and events. What is one festival, event, or venue that is on your career bucket list to play? Why?
Elyse Saunders: Definitely the Grand Ole Opry here in Nashville. That one has been on my list since the beginning, and to be able to play that, like so many other artists, is how you know you’ve really made it. Just to be able to step onto that circle where so much soul and history has been, alongside so many incredible, iconic artists, would be an amazing part of my journey. It’s definitely one of those bucket list stages I hope to play in the near future.
Spotlight on Business: Giving back is very important to you. You founded a Community Drive called ‘Warm Coats, Warm Hearts.’ Can you tell me a little more about that?
Elyse Saunders: As I continue to grow as an artist, I love to give back and make a difference where I can. Warm Coats, Warm Hearts started about nine years ago. When I was in school, I have memories of kids being out on recess in the dead cold winter in a spring jacket with no hat and no mitts, and I remember it really standing out to me, and it didn’t sit right. Once I had started my career, I had heard of a local coat drive, and it inspired me to hold my own coat drive, but to combine it with music. I decided admission would be a gently used coat for children, youth, and adults, and in exchange, my friends and I would put on a holiday country concert.
I’ve since partnered up with CMA Ontario for the past three years, and we’ve been able to make this event grow even more support within the community. To date, my Warm Coats Warm Hearts Coat Drive & Concert has been able to donate thousands of coats to local charities, as well as the proceeds. I’ve personally delivered many of the coats to local agencies and have been able to learn more about how they’re helping people and their families, and it’s amazing to see what they do for others.
This year, we are going to Clarke Memorial Hall in Port Credit, Ontario, on November 28th, and I have a bunch of my friends coming, and it’s going to be another great event. The goal is to collect as many coats as possible and put on a good night that makes a difference for the community, and people feel good doing it. If people would like to purchase tickets or donate, they can do so on the CMA Ontario website, or they can donate directly to the charities we have listed on our poster. We’d love to see you there!
Spotlight on Business: What is the biggest lesson you have learned along the way in your professional journey?
Elyse Saunders: Definitely to invest in yourself. These things don’t happen overnight, but if you believe in what you do, you don’t take no for an answer because you love what you do, and you are your biggest champion in the end.
You can’t be afraid to make mistakes, or else you’ll never start. It’s really all about the journey of perfecting your craft, knowing who you are, learning the business, and eventually things will pay off. It hasn’t been an overnight success for me; but after ten plus years in the making, I can truly say that it does work out, and when the timing is right – when you have the right song and the right team, it comes together, it connects. I did this all on my own and that takes time and investment.
The worst advice that I ever was given, was to get a real job. I believe that life is short, so why work a job that you don’t enjoy, when you can do something that you love, and something makes a difference in this world. Sure, there is risk, but after working many part-time jobs to make the dream work, I can now say that I’m living the dream as a successful full-time artist. I didn’t have to get the “real job.” I just put in the work.
Spotlight on Business: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself? What’s the best advice and/or worst advice you were ever given?
Elyse Saunders: As long as you keep putting one foot forward, keep working hard, be yourself, and work on becoming even better every day, everything is going to work out.
Spotlight on Business: If you had the chance to do a duet with another artist, who would it be and why?
Elyse Saunders: This one is always so hard to answer because there are so many I would love to duet with. I think it’d be so cool to work alongside my icon, Shania Twain, and write a duet with her, or Lainey Wilson, because I do really love both artists and their journeys. I think I could learn a lot from both of them. Lainey and I both have a similar career journey, I think we could create something special based off of that. So, either of those two ladies would be absolutely amazing to work with.
Spotlight on Business: It’s been a few months since Heartbreak Rodeo. When can fans expect new music to drop? Tell us everything we need to know about this new single.
Elyse Saunders: I have a new song called ‘Rent Free’ coming out on November 7th, and it’s going to be available everywhere that you listen to music. I’ve already been giving a few little teasers on my social media, like TikTok and Instagram, and it’s been nice to see that people are loving it so far. This one is based on a friend’s story, and it was inspired by the saying, “living rent free in somebody’s mind”. I’ve never heard of anybody writing a song called ‘Rent Free’, so we really played on building pictures of the house that they built together, but also the living rent free in an ex’s mind. I won’t say much more than that; you’ll just have to hear it when it comes out.
Spotlight on Business: Where can music fans find out more about you, new music dropping, and upcoming shows?
Elyse Saunders: My main hub is elysesaunders.com, that’s where you can find the latest news and upcoming shows. I’m on all social media platforms, so feel free to follow me. If anyone would like to reach out, I’d love for you to say hi!
Spotlight on Business: Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message for your fans?
Elyse Saunders: Thank you so much to anybody who has taken the time to check out what I’ve been doing and listen to my music. It really means a lot to me because it isn’t possible without country music listeners and fans. And thank you if you’ve just discovered me, and for being a part of the journey. I hope to see you at a show soon!
by Krista Legge-Wakeley