THUNDER BAY - Canadian country singer and humanitarian, Paul Brandt, has a long list of awards to his name, and while he is humbled by the recognition, he prefers to keep them out of sight while working.
“I don’t have any awards up in my office or my studio where I do most of my work,” Brandt said. “It drives me nuts. It’s like they are staring down from the wall at me saying: now what are you going to do?”
“I don’t want those recognitions to be the motivation for why I do what I do.”
There are many reasons why Brandt continues to be a leading voice in Canadian country music and while his latest release, a two volume EP entitled The Journey, is a reflection of what brought him to where he is today, he continues to look forward to bigger and better things.
His latest venture is a 22-date cross-Canada Tour that will be making a stop in Thunder Bay on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Community Auditorium.
“This is the largest tour I have ever put together from a production standpoint,” Brandt said. “I’m really excited about it.”
Brandt stormed onto the Canadian country music scene in the mid-90s with hits like My Heart has a History and Take it From Me.
Throughout his more than 20-year career, Brandt has continued to make his mark both in Nashville and Canada, releasing seven studio albums, several compilation albums, three extended plays, and embarking on countless tours.
His newest release, The Journey YYC, Vol.1 and The Journey BNA, Vol. 2, which represent the Calgary and Nashville airport codes respectively, serves as a reflection of his career while at the same time focusing on why he continues to make music.
“I think the show itself will have some reflections on the way that journey has been,” he said. “Ultimately for me, I don’t want it to just be a look back. The best things for me have always been the ones of the future. It’s fun to reminisce a little bit, but you want to keep things moving forward as well.”
Moving forward is not always easy and Brandt said there have been a lot of dark moments. After spending more than 10 years in Nashville, Brandt left Reprise Records to form his own label.
“I remember asking myself at that point, because it looked very likely that things might be over, would I do this, would I sing and perform for people even if I had to do it for free,” he said. “Then I took it one step forward and asked myself if I would even if I had to pay to do it. And the answer was yes.”
That motivation to keep going for the love of music has earned him numerous awards, including 13 Canadian Country Music Awards and 13 Juno Awards.
But Brandt’s motivations go well beyond music and in 2008 he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at the Junos.
“I find that unless my art is outward focused and looking toward other people, it becomes really old, really quick,” Brandt said.
Over the years, Brandt has supported a variety of causes through his charitable foundation, Buckspring, which he runs with his wife, Elizabeth.
The most recent campaign, Not in My City, is fighting back against human trafficking. Brandt said he first became aware of the how widespread human trafficking is during a trip to Cambodia and he soon learned that it is one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada.
“You hear about these kinds of things happening in countries around the world. The things we saw there, it changed our lives forever,” Brandt said. “We saw children as young as five-years-old being sold into sexual exploitation and trafficking. It’s really mind blowing.”
Not in My City has already raised more than $800,000 and Brandt said these campaigns could not be successful without the support of his fans.
“When I really look back and think about the way we have been able to make the impact, it’s because the fans have supported it,” he said. “They have streamed the music, bought the music, and come to the shows and that enables us to be able to do some great things.”
For Brandt, what he does to help those in need and the work he does in the studio or while on tour are actually one in the same.
“I think one supports the other,” he said. “I get to go out and perform and play for people and have some fun along the way, but the purpose behind it is to try and create something that the world needs.”
But just because he is raising awareness about and fighting back against some very serious issues, Brandt said it is still a lot of fun making music and performing on stage, which the fans will definitely experience during his return to Thunder Bay. And knowing everyone is helping to create change in the world makes it all the better.
“I want to make sure everybody who comes to the show has a blast, leaves having a lot of fun and feeling like they were able to escape for a while,” he said. “This world can have some heavy things, but it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each other’s company and have some fun, too. I hope people show up ready to party.”
Paul Brandt will be taking to the Community Auditorium stage on Tuesday Feb. 12 with special guests Jess Moskaluke and the Hunter Brothers. The show starts at 7 p.m.
