Airdrie musician Kyle McKearney is one step closer to his dream of recording a studio album and breaking through to the international music scene thanks to Project WILD – a country and roots artist development program and provincewide contest aimed at kickstarting the careers of emerging Alberta musicians.
Following a final showcase performance held at the historic King Eddy music venue in downtown Calgary on Feb. 25, McKearney and his fellow top 12 competitors each vied for a placement as one of the contest’s top three finalists.
Last week, judges announced McKearney, Drew Gregory, and Shaela Miller will perform at the Project WILD finale at the King Eddy on March 26, where a grand prize of $100,953, and second- and third-place prizes of $75,000 and $50,000 will be awarded.
According to McKearney, the judges have already predetermined the placements of the top three contestants, so the finale show is just for fun.
“The show isn’t for points or anything like that. We already did that show,” he said. “The showcase round was really fun – it was fun to see all the artists play live and see what their brands were like.”
McKearney said if he takes home the top prize, he plans on recording his second studio album (his first – Down-Home – was released in 2021) and hitting the international music scene as early as next year.
“I will be able to make a record and market and promote it in a substantial way,” he said. “I’m going to the U.K. to play a bit there – we have an opportunity in 2023 that we want to take advantage of.”
He added he is also eager to film a music video and create some social media content with the funds.
“It’ll be fun, and I’ll be able to do a lot of things with [the money].”
Regardless of whether he takes home the top prize, McKearney said he is already a winner just by taking part in Project WILD. Through the contest, he received a $5,000 development award, an invitation to a one-week boot camp to further his skills in performance, songwriting, and business strategy, along with the chance to take home one of the top-three prizes.
“Finding out I was in the top three was a trip – that was a really, really fun moment,” he said. “The other top three [finalists] are great as well. All of us are in the money, though, so it’s awesome.”
The program, administered by Alberta Music and funded by Calgary country music station WILD 95.3 FM through a $4.9 million grant from the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, is in its fifth and final year. The contest aims to support emerging Canadian musicians through various bootcamps and training initiatives.
In the last nine months of the competition, contestants have attended a virtual bootcamp, compiled a business portfolio, hosted a charity event, designed a unique merchandise item, and collaborated with fellow artists.
McKearney wasn't the only Airdrie musician in the contest's list of finalists – Airdrie brothers and country duo Brad and Ryan Fleischer also made the top 12.
The highlight of the competition so far, according to McKearney, has been his participation in the charity challenge, where he selected a local charity and partnered with them to complete a fundraising event.
"I partnered with Food Banks of Canada and Calgary Food Banks and Jason and I did a cover of Temple of Dogs’ Hunger Strike and put it out. ET Canada picked it up and it spread pretty good,” he said, adding the event was able to raise over $10,000 for four separate food banks.
“It was a great feeling to make money for people that need it and put food on the table. I think it was the equivalent of 20,000 meals we were able to put out there, so that was a really good feeling.”
He said the most challenging part of the competition so far has been balancing his day job and his role as a father with the Project WILD workload.
“There is a lot you’re required to participate in and just being able to show up isn’t as easy as it may have once been for me,” he said. “The final [80-page] report was the hardest part for sure. It was a lot of work – eight days straight. No sleep, just working.
“We had to go through a bunch of challenges and do our best to show who we are as an artist and make sure everything was of our brand.”
He said regardless of the hard work, the experience has been very rewarding, and he is excited to perform again on March 26.
“It’s been cool. I’ve had a lot of fun doing it – [the finale] is a big moment – it's exciting,” he said.
