In 2014, Langenberg’s own Jess Moskaluke became the first Saskatchewan woman to win the CCMA Female Artist of the Year Award. In 2015, she became the first Saskatchewan woman to win it twice, taking home the award for the second year in a row.
Proud of her achievement, Moskaluke says that it’s rewarding just to know that people are listening and like what they hear.
“It’s just a big pat on the back from your music industry peers, it’s pretty nice, it feels like someone telling you you’re on the right track.”
While a prominent woman in Saskatchewan country music, Moskaluke says that her goal was merely to make music, and make it the best she could.
“I never set out to be the best, I never set out to be a prominent woman in Saskatchewan or Canada. I’m just doing something that I love.”
Moskaluke says that the Canadian country music scene is a close knit one, and that has been an honour to be nominated beside people whose music she grew up listening to. She says that as a relatively young artist, it’s valuable to have people help her grow as an artist.
“I think one of the better things for my career has been working alongside Paul Brandt for the past couple of months. It really made it seem real. I grew up listening to him probably more than anybody else, and it made me realize he is a person and he’s a professional and he’s very well spoken... I just learned a lot for them.”
Winning an award doesn’t mean resting, and Moskaluke says that she was inspired by her fellow CCMA nominees to keep pushing to be the best artist she can.
“To be up against some of those other names also makes me realize I have to step up my game because I am up against some massive names who have been doing this for a long time and are skilled in their craft. It’s a healthy challenge.”
Rising to the challenge, Moskaluke has been working on the launch of her next project, the new EP Kiss Me Quiet, out September 25. She says that she wanted to learn from the last album and keep pushing to make the best music she can.
“It’s different from album to album... Basically the second the last record was done you start writing for the next one, looking for songs and finding out what style you want to show.”
The goal with the new release was to have a natural growth from the last album, Light Up the Night. She says she knows who she is as an artist, and how she wants to leave her mark, but she also doesn’t want to make the same album twice.
Moskaluke’s songwriting can get intensely personal, something she admits can be quite difficult, especially when releasing the songs to the public. But, she also believes it’s something that people appreciate when they listen to the albums.
“I think it’s important to have a personal aspect to your songwriting, but sometimes it’s just fun to make up a story and exercise your creativity that way, singing about something like that. But, I think it’s easier to relate to a story you have personally experienced and audiences appreciate that amount of realism.”
The EP is being accompanied by the video for the title track, Kiss Me Quiet. While the video looks expensive, with many expansive helicopter shots of Moskaluke on top of mountains, she says it’s a video that makes smart use of its budget.
“Our budget for that video was cut in half pretty much. Helicopters aren’t as expensive as you think, and mountains are free.”
It’s a long way from her beginnings in the area, on the GX94 Star Search stage. She says it was more a hobby then, and now she describes it as her “overtime” job, as she puts in long hours.
“GX was one of the best things I could have ever done. It got me a lot of gigs, I was able to really enjoy that process, learn what it’s like and learn the costs of going somewhere. You don’t just show up and sing, unfortunately... I learned a lot, I learned that I very passionate about music, and along with other competitions that was a very crucial part of my career.”
While the stages have changed and she has a bigger spot on the marquee, Moskaluke says that she still gets nervous like she did when she began singing a decade ago.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be 100 per cent comfortable in front of an audience. I have always said that if the nerves go away completely your heart isn’t in it anymore. I still get nervous before every show, I still get slightly uncomfortable in front of crowds, but I think the trick is to make it look like you’re not.”
For the many young artists who are on the same stage where she began, Moskaluke says that it’s not about winning, or about being better than anyone else, but about improving yourself.
“There’s always going to be a better singer, a better performer or a better writer. But nobody can do what you do, whatever that is. Figure out what you have to offer the world, and be the best version of that you can be.”
