Shelley Lynch - Five Questions With

Shelley Lynch: The Heart of ’90s Country, Reimagined.

Shelley Lynch, is a powerhouse voice in Canadian country music, an artist whose journey is defined by fierce independence and deeply personal storytelling.

Shelley’s sound, rooted in her own life experiences, captured the spirit of ’90s country with hits like the chart-climbing “Dreams and Gasoline” (reaching No. 66 on Music Row) and the acclaimed “Make it to Memphis,” which debuted on the Music Row Country Breakout Radio Chart alongside heavy hitters like Toby Keith. Her momentum continued with fan favorites like “Country Girls are Crazy” and the impressive success of tracks like “Different Kind of Lonely,” which spent an incredible 17 weeks on the charts. She even took on Nickelback with a country version of “If Today Was Your Last Day.”

From working with Nashville’s finest studio musicians and producer Dean Miller to recording self-penned tunes in her own Rocky Mountain home studio, Shelley Lynch is an enduring force. With a 2025 ‘Interactive Artist of the Year’ nomination from the BC Country Music Association under her belt, she continues to write with honesty and perform with passion.

First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello, I am Shelley Lynch from Eastern BC, close to the Alberta border, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. I was raised at a Drive In Theatre, built by my grandfather and my dad. I grew up with 5 siblings, 1 boy, and 5 girls. Our living room had guitars, drums, and a keyboard, where we entertained guests on Saturday nights. I learned guitar at age 10 from my older sisters who had a band and wrote my first song, Spring, at age 12. We sang in church every Sunday and learned the importance of unconditional love and integrity. My life has always been surrounded by the love of music.

Tell us a bit about the Inspiration behind the song “Life is a Journey,”

As you may or may not know, I write what I live. Sometimes the lyrics arrive first and sometimes, like this song, a repetitive music composition keeps going through my head and doesn’t stop until I write something to it. I shared my thoughts with Drew (sound engineer) and Mikey (drummer) and together they managed to capture the sound in my head. I don’t even recall where the lyric “Life is a Journey” came from, but the song flowed from there. My son had just been through a serious break up in his relationship (first verse) and my daughter was soon to give birth (second verse). This part of the song never changed, but the rest of the song was re-written several times, to a point where I almost put it in the dud pile! I was trying to explain the “Modern day Daniel” the idea of believing in yourself and to do that believing in things you cannot see, true faith. I am a strong believer that there is no book to follow in life only the bible and I have been brought up with very strong Faith. I also wanted the song to be recorded as the first song from “The Studio” at my home in Jaffray. It is a very unique and special place that has memorable paraphernalia of those close to me and those who are no longer here: my dad’s siding from the shop where the studio lives as trim, Drew’s analog to digital sound board from an old church, violin and banjo from a friends parents, assortment of guitars from various people, a photo of Elvis, drums from Mikey, a stand up piano from my uncle, and many other items from friends and family that are about music. Drew and his dad have been working endlessly to ensure the song has amazing quality, and I believe they have achieved this. The journey has been amazing and is not just about me and my music, it is about life and how music has brought so many people together.

How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?

I don’t really have any process, and sometimes can’t explain why or how I write songs, they just come to me. I truly believe it is a God given gift which sometimes feels like a curse. Sometimes someone will say something and I’ll say, ‘ooo that would be good in a song’. But, if I sit down to try to write something it usually ends up in the dud pile, I have learned to be patient and wait for the song to come out. Usually the best songs come out at the craziest times; I have been woken up at the early hours of the morning, or I will be driving, most times when I am doing some sort of physical work and my mind is clear, I’ll hear a lyric or a song pattern and have to stop what I am doing an write it down. Then the fun begins because it does not give me a break until it is finished. My kids used to say, ‘Stay away from mom she’s writing a song’. It’s like a strong surge of emotional energy, the most amazing thing.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?

There are many ways of supporting this release, through live performances, my bi-monthly virtual Acoustic Hour (Fireball Friday) and sending out shorts through social media platforms. I am sponsoring an event at CRS (Country Radio Seminar) in March 2026 and planning a radio tour along the way to Nashville. It is very difficult to make money these days in the music industry, so I continue to work a full time job while promoting my music. Having a studio at my home has helped immensely. I am planning for some great events in the coming year! The video for ‘Life is a Journey’ was fun to make and captures both my son and I in our journeys of life, check it out! https://youtu.be/d6ohBaAu72U

Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?

There are many turning points in my career, the one that stands out the most was having my song “Dreams and Gasoline” on SiriusXM! Another was having my song “Country Girls are Crazy” climb to the top 50 on Music Row’s Country Breakout Chart! Those accomplishments definitely inspire me to carry on and continue to write and record songs from this beautiful gift of songwriting.