Candace Copley would rather be writing songs. Instead, she's writing tweets.
The South Cariboo musician is trying to drum up a social media presence as part of a nation-wide campaign looking for Canada's best new artist.
As thousands of musicians around the country have done recently – dozens in this part of British Columbia – Copley has entered CBC Radio's Searchlight competition, and she's looking for mouse clicks on its website.
However, the whole self-promotion thing is hard, she says, and “it's crazy.”
“I should almost hire someone to do it for me.... I spend so much time on X and Facebook and I feel like I'm being so annoying.”
Copley, a Lac la Hache resident, has been performing around the 100 Mile House area for years. She teaches guitar and she first started playing at the Chartreuse Moose on Birch Avenue when she moved back to town years ago. She is a former Cariboo Idol winner, and she can be heard in the summer playing guitar and singing at the local farmers’ market.
Eight of her songs can be found on the Searchlight webpage, including “The Buffalo,” “If I Didn't Have You” and “Don't Let Me Go.”
The first round of voting, which started March 24, to determine the top 25 submissions from each region is open until April 6. Fans can vote up to 10 times a day.
(Go to music.cbc.ca for more information.)
The grand prize includes $20,000 worth of music equipment, professional recording time from CBC Music and a spot on a “high-profile” music showcase.
Last year, a band from Newfoundland and Labrador – Sherman Downey and the Ambiguous Case – beat out close to 3,000 other acts entered in the contest, including a band from Cranbrook – Good Ol' Goats – in the final.
Copley says she's never had to promote herself like this, and finds it a bit weird.
“The thing about this town is I just know everybody.”
“It's a total long shot,” she says of her chances.
“But I thought, ‘well, it can't hurt.’ Basically, I'm trying to get people to keep their phone handy and vote as many times as they can everyday.”
