Canada’s Country

Though Nashville remains the cradle of country, Canada has a pretty long history with it too, taking the styles and sounds of its Southern neighbors and applying its own rustic, regional spin. Honky-tonk, outlaw ballads, beat-driven pop crossovers—these songs represent a cross section of Canada’s best modern country. This week, Bradley Hale explores the double-edged sword of following a dream with “Oklahoma Sunset.” The up-and-coming singer-songwriter wrote the tune—about the regret that can come with leaving love behind in pursuit of artistic dreams—with his father, Fred Hale, a SOCAN Award-winning songwriter and musician. “Music has always been such a huge part of my family and life, and it has been so cool to be able to write and work on songs together as I chase my dream of making music,” Hale tells Apple Music. “This is a song that I feel so many people will be able to relate to, whether it is about themselves or somebody that they know.” Hale tells Apple Music that “Oklahoma Sunset” will appear on a forthcoming debut EP tentatively due this spring. Listen to it now and add Canada’s Country to your library to stay up on the songs shaping the future of country music.