Chad Brownlee (MDM Recordings Inc. / Universal Music Canada) had a showcase year in the country music world, recently topping things off with a 2012 Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) nomination for Male Artist of the Year, and performing on the live national CBC TV broadcast of the awards show on Sept. 9, 2012. Since the release of his new album Love Me Or Leave Me on February 14, 2012, the talented singer-songwriter has shown the industry that his place in country music is on the rise; quite literally as he was also the recipient of the 2011 Rising Star Award at the CCMA’s. In addition to his musical adventures, he also announced a new partnership with the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation, visiting camps throughout Canada and leading music workshops with the campers this past summer. With his mesmerizing live performances in addition to his rugged good looks, Brownlee has increasingly been stealing the hearts of his fans across Canada while co-headlining The Boys of Fall national tour with Dallas Smith (in the fall of 2012). He will release his new single “Crash” to Canadian radio in February, 2013.
Kicking off the holiday season, Brownlee released a viral video for the track “Leave Here Dying Young”, a song in tribute to his father. He shares, “My Dad reminds me to always be young at heart no matter how old we are. I hope this video inspires the kid in all of us.” 2012 proved to be yet another busy year on the radio airwaves for Brownlee with the release of multiple new singles including “Listen”, shot at the Salt Flats in California (released on July 28, 2012 to Canadian country radio and the video exclusively on CMT Canada). His previous single “Smoke In The Rain” reached #8 on BDS Country Spins and #8 on BDS Country Audience. Additionally, his first single “Love Me Or Leave Me” cracked top 10, reaching #8 on the BDS Country Spins and #10 on BDS Country Audience.
Says Brownlee, “Love Me or Leave Me, like much of my work, is drawn from personal experience. Genuine emotion definitely is imperative in the creation of a song my fans can relate to and connect with.”
The first single, “Love Me or Leave Me” explores a young love, following the recovery from the broken trust by an ex-lover, and the trepidation of a new romance. “I want your everything now… I ain’t gonna let you down… you’ve got a choice to make” sings Brownlee. The lyrics, which share an all too familiar pain experienced by many, are complimented by his strong vocal skills. “I don’t care, who he was, this is us, if you really want me, I’ll make it easy, love me or leave me!” Brownlee performs with his powerful stage presence. This single is complimented by his third single “Listen”, a ballad filled with the desperate attempt to save a fizzling love story, filled with such heartfelt lyrics “Baby just listen, listen to the words you’re saying, listen to the heart you’re breaking, think about the love you’re wasting…” sings Brownlee.
Brownlee’s self-titled debut album was released in August 2010, followed by a 2010 Best New Artist Showcase Award from the Canadian Country Music Conference, as well as a 2010 CCMA Rising Star nomination. Six of the seven singles he has released have cracked the top 10 and achieved impressive success, including the single “Day After You” which broke both the top 10 on CMT’s Chevy Cross Canada Countdown and peaked at #9 on the BDS Canadian Country radio chart. 4 additional singles were released throughout the life of the record, including “The Best That I Can (Superhero)”, “Hope”, “Hood Of My Car” and “Carried Away”, collectively defining Brownlee as one of the hottest up and coming talents in Canada today.
Brownlee’s song writing skills were first acknowledged in his fourth year at Minnesota State University when he was nominated for the NCAA Hockey Humanitarian award for his song “The Hero I See.” The song, written in memory of a boy who lost his battle with leukaemia, raised thousands of dollars for the Anthony Ford Foundation, which helps underprivileged kids play hockey. A true renaissance man, Brownlee is not only a talented musician, but also a former hockey star, a 6th round draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 2003. Born in Kelowna, BC, Brownlee still calls BC his home base, when not touring on the road or in studio.
