Known for her quick wit, quirky sense of humor, and signature retro style, Country Music Alberta's two-time Horizon Female Artist of the Year (2019 & 2020) is currently recording her debut album with Juno Award-winning producers and frequent collaborators Spencer Cheyne and Justin Kudding. With confident, expressive vocals and gritty steel guitar, her current single, "Break My Heart," is a laid-back, pop-country feminist anthem and was nominated for "Horizon Single of the Year" at the 2021 Country Music Alberta (CMAB) Awards. Dripping with attitude, "Break My Heart" solidifies her commitment to empowering women and telling their stories.
A three-time CMAB "Songwriter of the Year" nominee, Stokes' feel-good debut single, "Hands On My Body," also earned her a nomination as a director for "Music Video of the Year," and was a finalist at the 2019 Edmonton Short Film Festival and a semi-finalist in the 2020 European Cinematography Awards. Her second single, "Christmas, Arizona," landed in the Top 100 on the BDS Canadian Holiday Chart and was added to CBC Country & SiriusXM Country. Intimate and acoustic, her third release, “Rebound,” was featured across Canada as the "Next Big Thing" on the Casey Clarke Country Countdown and has over 200,000 streams on Spotify.
From hosting the CMAB Awards Show in 2021 alongside the legendary George Canyon to playing guitar and opening for RuPaul's Drag Race superstar, Trixie Mattel, Stokes always appears where you’d least expect her. Growing up in Stavely, Alberta, an hour south of Calgary, Stokes spent time in her parents' small-town bar and, at eight years old, was sneaking in on Friday afternoons to sing with the local jam band. Now a seasoned performer, she has opened for Doc Walker, Jade Eagleson, and Jann Arden and was one of three artists selected to work with 19-time CCMA winner Terri Clark at National Music Centre's RBC Master in Residence program. In 2021, Stokes graced festival stages, including Nashville North at the Calgary Stampede, Elk Valley Pride in Fernie, BC, and was a featured artist in Breakout West's "Back To Live" showcase.
Her small-town, community-minded values have followed her to the big city: Stokes was a 2020 Artist in Residence at the Women's Centre of Calgary. A past volunteer at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre, she worked on two charity records and independently organized numerous coat drives for the organization. In addition, she was a member of the 2022 CCMA Host Committee, taking part in planning the Canadian Country Music Association's awards week in Calgary.
Stokes is a dedicated songwriter. Notably, songs she co-wrote have been recorded by CCMA nominees Leaving Thomas, alt-pop singer Celia Palli, country artists Devin Cooper and Paige Rutledge, and pop singer Hayden McHugh. She writes with Canadian songwriters while taking trips to Nashville, Tennessee, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to strengthen her craft and build her catalog. "I'm a songwriter first." Stokes says, "My songs are rooted in country storytelling, but I'm not afraid to bend outside the genre if it feels right. My sound changes drastically with each release because I'm constantly evolving, and I like to surprise my fans and keep them excited for what could be coming next."
