Brett Kissel

Early life

Kissel, a fifth generation Albertan, was born and raised in Flat Lake, Alberta with his parents Brenda and Gordon Kissel. He has one older brother Jamison Kissel. Growing up on a cattle ranch in northeastern Alberta (in the Flat Lake region) played a big role in Kissel's music. His family operates a successful cattle ranch with Angus and Speckle Park-cross cattle. Kissel's ranching background garnered him attention in the agricultural and rodeo communities across Canada.

The cattle ranch where Kissel grew up - the Wengzynowski North View Ranch - was named after his great, great grandparents Wasyl and Paraska Wengzynowski, and was homesteaded in 1910. The lyrics to Kissel's song "Country in my Blood", released on Warner Music Canada in October, 2013, is a "true depiction of his family's journey to Canada, and the way he was raised in the rural Alberta lifestyle", according to his interview and appearance on the Rick Mercer Report on CBC in March 2015.

When Kissel was 6, he received his first guitar. His grandmother, Irene, bought it for him from the Sears catalogue for Christmas 1996. Kissel took lessons only for one year in his hometown of St. Paul. Following that year, he never took formal lessons again. Kissel often attended the Freddie Pelletier Guitar Camp, whom he credits for his guitar playing style.

During a chance meeting in 1995, Kissel met Alberta country star, philanthropist, and fundraising auctioneer - Danny Hooper - during a school fundraiser in St. Paul, Alberta. According to multiple interviews, this was Kissel's first public performance, as Hooper called the youngster onstage to perform his local hit "The John Deere Tractor Keys" in front of a sold out audience. This sparked a friendship between Kissel and Hooper that led to their professional management relationship that started in 2005.

Kissel was always a fan of Johnny Cash. When Kissel released his first album, he recorded two Johnny Cash songs, "Tennessee Flat Top Box" and "Big River". Kissel wrote a letter to Cash when his wife June Carter Cash died in May 2003. Cash died a few months later on September 12, 2003, the day Kissel released his debut album. Before Kissel went on stage in Glendon, Alberta for his CD release concert, his father handed him a large envelope he had received in the mail earlier that day, containing a signed 8x10 photograph from Johnny Cash. It read: "To Brett, Jesus First, Johnny Cash".

Career

Kissel released his first album, Keepin' It Country, when he was 12 years old. The album was co-produced by Freddie Pelletier. He released three additional independent albums, By Request in 2004, Tried and True – A Canadian Tribute in 2006 and My Roots Run Deep in 2008. Tried and True – A Canadian Tribute was produced by Steve Fox and featured duets with Fox, Corb Lund, Gary Fjellgaard and Larry Mercey of the Mercey Brothers. Tried and True – A Canadian Tribute and My Roots Run Deep sold a combined 70,000 copies. In 2006, Kissel was nominated for the Chevy Trucks Rising Star Award at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards. Kissel was 16 years old at the time, making him the youngest CCMA nominee in the history of the awards show.

In late 2012, Kissel wrote and recorded a song about the 2012–13 NHL lockout, "Hockey, Please Come Back". The music video for the song was viewed 10,000 times in its first two days of release.

After multiple trips to Nashville since the age of 13, in late 2012, Kissel met with legendary manager Bob Doyle. Doyle immediately signed Kissel to a co-management contract with Louis O'Reilly. Doyle is credited for the discovery of country mega-star Garth Brooks, and still manages Garth to this day.

On May 10, 2013, Kissel signed a record deal with Warner Music Canada. His debut single, "Started with a Song", was released on June 17. It became the most added song at Canadian country radio in its first week, surpassing a record set by Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together". It debuted at number 87 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for the week of July 27, 2013. The music video for the song premiered on CMT Canada on June 27. Kissel's first album for Warner, also titled Started with a Song, was released on October 1, 2013. Kissel co-produced the album with Ted Hewitt and Bart McKay. "Started with a Song" peaked at the Number One position on CMT Canada's Chevrolet Top 20 Countdown. The album's second single, "Raise Your Glass", was released to Canadian country radio on October 7. The music video was produced by Margaret Malandruccolo.

On January 25, 2014, Brett Kissel was nominated for four Association of Country Music in Alberta Awards (ACMAs), winning two awards for Rising Star and Single of the Year for Started with a Song. Following his two award wins, Kissel toured across Canada with his first national co-headlining tour called The Young Guns Tour. The tour had nineteen concerts from Vancouver to Charlottetown with co-headliners One More Girl. Kissel and One More Girl performed in front of thousands of fans across Canada.

On February 14, 2014, Kissel released his third single from his Started with a Song album titled "3-2-1" with a music video directed by Shaun Silva of Tacklebox Films. The video was shot in Nashville, Tennessee and has received heavy airplay on CMT Canada.

On March 29, 2014, Kissel won his first Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and also performed on the 2014 Juno Awards broadcast on CTV alongside OneRepublic, Tegan and Sara, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and The Sheepdogs.

In September, 2014, Kissel led all country singers with eight (8) nominations for the Canadian Country Music Awards held in Edmonton, Alberta. Kissel went on to win two (2) awards during Country Music Week, including "Interactive Artist of the Year", and "CMT Video of the Year", for his number one hit - "3-2-1". Kissel also closed the show at Rexall Place with a two song performance that included a medley of "3-2-1" and "Started With A Song", both number one videos on CMT Canada.

Following the Canadian Country Music Awards in September, 2014, Kissel joined country superstar Brad Paisley on his Country Nation World Tour for the entire Canadian tour, promoted by Live Nation. Kissel gained even more popularity across Canada when Paisley invited Brett to perform onstage with him in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, following Kissel's canceled flight. (The entire tour was captured on video, as Kissel released episodes to CMT Canada and YouTube.)

In January 2015, Kissel won three (3) Association of Country Music in Alberta Awards (ACMA's), for "Single of the Year" (3-2-1), "Male Artist of the Year", and "Album of the Year" (Started With A Song). The single is "Airwaves" reached at number 1 on the Canada Country chart in September 2015. The album's second single with the title track, released to Canadian country radio in October 2015. The album's third single "Cool with That" released to Canadian country radio on April 2016. In the same year, Kissel collaborated with singer Don Amero on "Rebuild This Town", a song about cultural reconciliation between First Nations people and other Canadians. Amero and Kissel have also since toured together, performing as a duo in aboriginal communities.

Personal life

Brett Kissel married Cecilia Friesen on Friday, July 1, 2011 in Edmonton, Alberta. They now live in Nashville, Tennessee. On January 17, 2016, Brett's wife Cecilia gave birth to their daughter, Mila Elizabeth Kissel. He is a fan of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team, and wrote the song "We're Gonna Win the Cup" for their run in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. Before Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinal against the Anaheim Ducks, Kissel performed the American "Star-Spangled Banner", but the audio within Edmonton's Rogers Place did not work, so the crowd joined him in it. May 2, 2017, Brett and Cecilia welcomed their second daughter, Aria Cecilia.

Singles