Craig Silver Releases New Single, “Find My Fame”
Craig Sivler is one of the Maritimes’ hidden country treasures. Beginning his musical journey on stage at just six years old, Craig has performed with Nova Scotia’s Coal Miners Choir, his high school band Pseudonym, and Montreal’s professional gospel ensemble Chorale of Reconciliation, who earned two Spirit Award nominations through MCA.
Craig stepped into the country music scene after placing runner-up in Global Country’s Star Search in 2019. Since then, he has released multiple successful singles, including ‘Share These Dreams’, which reached No. 1 on Amazon’s Breakthrough Country Playlist, and his Christmas single ‘Mistletoe and Holly’, which landed on Sirius XM’s Top of the Country. He also eared a Top 5 finish in Ranchmen’s Rising Start Contest
Blending modern country with East Coast roots, outlaw country, and rock influences, Craig brings an energetic and engaging performance to every stage. His brand-new single is now available on all streaming platforms and is sure to become a staple on every honky tonk playlist.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Craig Silver, I live in Calgary, Alberta. I grew up in a small community in Nova Scotia called Burlington. I actually played country a lot, in talent shows, as a young guy. Anything from Alan Jackson, and Randy Travis to Vince Gill. One of my first times on stage singing was for a Christmas concert when I was 6. Growing up in a small community I learned how to make life work in ways that I never would have learned in the city, so I am thankful for that. It was a pretty simple life and it definitely finds its way into my music.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
This new song Find My Fame is born out of watching the society we live in, reflecting on my own life and realizing that we’re all trying to make something of ourselves and, at times, we’ll do whatever we can to make that happen. My grandfather owned a lumber mill that our extended family all helped out with in one way or another. We’d organize games with the cousins and include some other families. It wasn’t enough for me, I always had aspirations to do something bigger, something spectacular and music was always one of those outlets I would use. In the chorus it mentions that, “One day I was chained but now I am free!” It’s this idea that we need to get free from this nasty cycle of trying to be something else and learn to just be. So it’s a song with a big message with a fun spin to make it more of an encouragement to break free and just be!
Walk us through your creative progress when creating music.
This is always a tough one for me to answer. My songs or sounds don’t always come the same. Find My Fame came to me when I was doing a security job and working a night shift. I ended up writing this song on one of those shifts in 25 mins flat and already had the sound in my head. So I went outside the building and made a voice memo of me singing through it. Sweet Summer Nights started with me making the chorus and the rest followed a couple of months later. Every time a sound for a song, or lyrics come to my head I try to stop immediately and create a voice memo for the sound or write down the lyrics. The hardest part for me is trying to relay what I hear in my head to those that are working on production with me.
Now that the music is out, what does the ‘road ahead’ look like? Beyond tours and videos, what’s one ‘bucket list’ goal you hope to achieve with this release?
I have slowly been moving to the larger venues and stages over the past couple of years. My hope is that this song brings more attention to my music and me as an artist so I can start playing more shows and bigger venues. I’d like to get to the point, sooner than later, where I can take the band across Canada and do my first big tour. I have a photo of Cavendish Beach Festival main stage on my phone lock screen as one of my big goals. I want to be able to play that stage and have my parents in the crowd to see it.
Every artist has a ‘lightbulb moment’ where things just clicked. Looking back, what’s the one performance or milestone that made you realize, ‘Okay, this is what I was meant to do’?
For me I was always singing in the church growing up so it has always been a part of my life. Whether it was there, or in talent shows, I have always enjoyed singing. I have had moments when I have seen people tear up to a song I am playing as they think about a tough time it reminded them of, or get up to dance and pull others with them to be a part of it as they forget about their troubles and just relax and enjoy the night. I’ve had people come up to me after a show and share with me the connection and difference these songs make in their life and it reminds you of why you do what you do. So it is not not necessarily a light bulb moment for me but rather a fueling of the fire as I continue to do what I love.
We love championing Canadian talent. If you were curated a ‘Must-Listen’ playlist of emerging artists right now, who is the first person you’d add?
Definitely Jade Eagleson. He is one of my favorite Canadian artists at the moment. “She Don’t Know” is one of my favourite from him, just a simple love song that’s backed up with his life in his own marriage. I like to make sure that messages I put out in my own music are practiced in my own life and I see that with Jade.
There’s nothing like the energy of a live room. Where can fans catch you on stage next, and for someone seeing you for the first time, what should they expect from a Craig Silver live experience?
I have been on a bit of a break after playing 9 shows over Calgary Stampede, coming back to Nova Scotia to be a part of my parents anniversary celebration, and visiting friends from home. I may be doing some pop-up shows in the Maritimes and my next scheduled show is the end of August on the 28, 29th at the ACE Blackfoot Casino. My duo and solo shows are peppered with stories and some humor, with a bigger mix of genres while a full band show setup has us leaving the stage to play in the crowd at times and mixing in some unexpected songs like Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. We love to get the crowd amped up and dancing.