A singer and songwriter with one foot in the country and the other in pop, Tenille Arts became a breakout artist in her native Canada. Now her star is starting to rise in a major way in the United States.
Tenille Arts’ pure, evocative voice, atmospheric melodies, and a knack for capturing the ups and downs of romantic relationships helped her to make a mark in the music industry. Get to know more about this talented artist with these ten facts.
10. She Grew up Listening to Music
Tenille Arts, born on April 19, 1994, in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up listening to country music. When she was only eight years old, a neighbor heard her belting out to a Shania Twain song in her backyard. The neighbor told Arts’ mother she believed the little girl had talent. Soon, Tenille Arts took piano and voice lessons. When she was thirteen, she already started writing her own songs.
9. LeAnn Rimes’ Blue Was Her First Memory of Singing Country Music
Tenille Arts’ parents exposed her to lots of different kinds of music as a child, but something about the country genre just stuck.
“My earliest memory of singing country was actually “Blue” by LeAnn Rimes,” Arts recalled. “That was one of the very first songs that I ever performed. I taught myself with a cassette tape, and I just fell in love with country music. There was no other genre for me. It was always country.”
8. A Taylor Swift Cover Landed Her to a Publishing Contract
In 2009, Tenille Arts posted a video online of her performing an acoustic version of Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen.” A music manager in Nashville saw the clip and made an offer to represent her. So Arts relocated to Nashville but came home to Canada shortly to finish high school.
But the aspiring singer did not stop. She wrote more songs, worked on her performing skills, and gained some life experience. In 2015, Arts finally made a name for herself as a songwriter and started working with other tunesmiths in Nashville. Noble Vision Music Group in the Music City offered to sign her to a publishing contract. This time, Tenille Arts accepted the offer and moved to Nashville to introduce herself to the most important country music community in America.
7. Canadian Country Music Association Recognized Her Growing Success
In 2016, the Canadian Country Music Association recognized Tenille Arts’ growing success with a nomination for their Discovery Artist Award. The Saskatchewan Country Music Association, on the other hand, presented her with the Emerging Artist Award that same year, as well as the Album of the Year prize for her EP.
6. She Appeared Three Times On The Reality Dating Series’ The Bachelor’
Arts’ profile in America received a big boost when she appeared on the reality dating series ‘The Bachelor’ in 2018. She performed her song “Moment of Weakness,” and the song suddenly gained new life on radio and streaming services.
“That show has been incredible for my career. There have been millions of people that have been exposed to my music because of it. It’s crazy when you perform on the show, the next day it’s like your song is number one on iTunes, it’s streaming everywhere, it’s added to playlists. It’s just insane the amount of exposure that show can give,” Arts said.
The artist has never thought that the reality show would be the way she would get her music out there, “but it is the perfect audience for country music. It’s the perfect age, and they love stories, they love the storytelling side of things, so many of them are country music fans. It’s a really great platform.”
5. She Made Her Grand Ole Opry Debut in 2019
Tenille Arts achieved one of the biggest goals in her career by appearing on the historic stage of the Grand Ole Opry in 2019. “I really don’t think I’m ever going to get over the pure magic. My Opry debut was everything I could have dreamed of and more,” she said after her experience.
She sang her song, “Somebody Like That,” with the full Opry band, then the band left the stage, and Arts picked up her acoustic guitar to sing her single “Call You Names.” Her entire family and her aunt were there in the audience to witness the magical moment.
4. She Once Took The Centre Court of NBA All-Star Game In Chicago
Tenille Arts was featured at center court during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. The pride of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, was chosen to sing the Canadian National Anthem before tip-off.
3. However, Her Version of Canadian National Anthem Stir Up Some Controversy
The way Tenille Arts sang the Canadian National Anthem “ended up having quite a bit controversy,” but it became another growing point for the artist.
“I had never experienced the negative side of social media before, so I think that was a really good lesson and a learning point that you have to realize that those people, they’re not nice, and that’s totally fine, you can’t please everybody. I think that helped me grow quite a bit,” she said.
2. She Released A Song In Benefit Of Cystic Fibrosis Canada
Tenille Arts’ song “Breathe” was released for a good cause. All of the proceeds from the song went to cystic fibrosis research and in finding a cure for the said illness.
“I honestly didn’t know what cystic fibrosis was back then, and I was blown away by how incredible everybody is that is involved in Cystic Fibrosis Canada,” she said. “There is no cure for cystic fibrosis yet, and I couldn’t believe that. I immediately was like, ‘I’m going to do whatever I can to help. All I have really is my voice, and I can come and do performances whenever you guys want.'”
1. Her Music is True and Honest
Tenille Arts only wants one thing. She wants people to know that what they are hearing in her music is true and honest. “I’m not trying to be anything – this is my music,” she said. “If people love it, that’s so great, and I’m honored that people are taking the time and letting my music be the soundtrack to their days, that is the coolest thing to me. I’m so thankful that people have fallen in love with my music, I feel so blessed.”