Prince Albert artist Josh Stumpf has been making a name for himself in the country music scene. “I kind of started writing almost like a form of therapy for me,” Stumpf said. “I was going through some tough times, and it kind of felt like a way to talk to somebody without really having to talk to somebody, and you could kind of just express what you were feeling by writing it down. And then I always loved hearing music and playing music, so turning it into songs was the fun part of it for me.” Stumpf is seeing some recognition from this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards as a nominee for Fan’s Choice and Breakthrough Artist of the year. He’s racked up six Saskatchewan Country Music Association award nominations as well. “What I was listening to growing up was a lot of country and rock, which I think you can kind of hear through a lot of my music,” shared Stumpf about his ties to the country genre. “It’s part of life. They talk about all the stuff that, you know, I want to hear about.” Stumpf taught himself to play guitar in his early teens and eventually started going to open mics in Saskatoon. “I was farming for a little bit in Smeaton, and I would drive from Smeaton to Saskatoon and go do open mics for like four people,” said Stumpf. “Eventually Mark Poppen and Joel Gaudet were hosting the open mic at the Capitol in Saskatoon, and they approached me to come record a song.” With support from Saskatchewan’s music community, Stumpf’s career has grown to include his singles “Highway Money” and “Nobody Roads” hitting the top 10 on the Billboard Canada Country chart. His mother Rachelle Lavoie-Stumpf said it’s been a cool process to see Josh develop as a musician. “For those of us who are around here, this isn’t the norm. We don’t see it very often,” she said about Stumpf’s accomplishments. “His success in music isn’t what makes me proud. It’s the work he puts into it.” What’s next for the rising artist? Stumpf is headed back to Nashville in August to work on new music and will be making festival appearances in the next few months, including one in Australia at the Groundwater Country Music Festival.
