Lydia Sutherland is a Valley native and Chateauguay Valley Regional High School (CVR) class of 2015 graduate who has made a name for herself in the world of country-pop music. Recently, she announced that she signed a deal with Jim Cressman and Invictus Entertainment Group. In a post on social media Sutherland says, “Jim has been incredibly generous with me over the past few years and has been an incredible advocate. I’m the luckiest to have him on my team and to have the Invictus crew in my corner. [I’m} excited for this next chapter!”
Last November, Sutherland signed a record deal with Universal Music Canada. Earlier this month, she signed as an accomplished songwriter with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) in Nashville. “Fifteen-year-old me would sit in the music room at lunch to write songs,” she wrote on social media. “I never thought that would lead me to Nashville almost ten years later to meet with my dream publisher.”
In a press release, Cyndi Forman, the senior vice president A&R, UMPG Nashville, described meeting with Sutherland last year, noting the singer-songwriter’s lyrics and ideas blew her away. “I couldn’t get the songs out of my head and knew I had to sign her. I am thrilled she’s joining the team!”
Sutherland’s debut single, Best Friend, was released on November 18. It’s a mid-tempo pop anthem, but you can still hear the influence of her country music flare. She says, “For the past few years I’ve been writing songs that are ‘outside of the box’ but [they] matter to me, and I’m so, so happy they found a home with this amazing team who believes in me and my story.” As a follow-up, she released Look Like Your Exes on February 10, accompanied by a music video.
It was also recently announced that Sutherland is one of eight semi-finalists for the Sirius XM Top of The Country Contest in association with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). The semi-finalists are sponsored to travel to Toronto or Vancouver to audition and produce professionally recorded and mixed audio and video. Then, fans will select three finalists who will get to perform at the CCMA’s Country Music Week in Hamilton, receive professional mentorship, and win at least $10,000 – with $25,000$ going to the overall winner.
If you’re hoping to hear some of Sutherland’s music live, she will be featured in the lineup for the LASSO country music festival at Montreal’s Parc Jean Drapeau on August 18 and 19. Sutherland will be featured alongside huge country music artists like Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton, and Jake Owen.
