Country gospel band Stirling John has acquired a Juno Award nomination for the unbiased album Where I’m Meant to Be.
John, the lead singer-songwriter, is an Alberta RCMP officer. Guitarist and backup singer David Pedersen is a constable and college useful resource officer with the Edmonton Police Service.
“I feel humbled and I’m honored to be nominated in the Juno category,” John stated of the nod for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to lead by example in our communities and really show our youth that if you have a goal in mind, you can go for it, and people support you.”
“It’s definitely a feeling of pride and excitement,” Pedersen added. “It’s cool to be acknowledged in that way. It feels like a huge privilege.”
John and Pedersen linked by way of an advert on Kijiji in 2017 and met for the primary time quickly after at a Tim Hortons.
“I was looking for singer-songwriter, somebody who kind of aligned with my values,” John stated, “and the rest was history.”
Stirling John is nominated for a Juno Award.
Courtesy: Facebook/Stirling John
John stated he and Pedersen rapidly realized that they had rather a lot in frequent.
“He was like: ‘What’s your schedule like?’ We talked about four-on, four-off shift schedules. He said: ‘Are you police, fire or EMS?’”
Pedersen defined: “It turns out we were both working night shift as police officers on neighbouring districts.”
“The more that we connect, the more that we journey through, it definitely seems like it was meant to be.”
Their shared experiences as first responders evokes lots of their songs.
“There was a song that was initially written years back called Weight of the Call and it was really a debriefing moment for me,” John stated.
“To write to the seriousness of the call but also how it affected myself and also the other first responders. Weight of the Call really became an anthem for a lot of police officers that couldn’t really speak what was on their mind and how the job affected them.”
The tune resonated with a whole lot of different first responders. In truth, the band was invited to carry out at a police division opening in Texas.
Pederson is a faculty useful resource officer who splits his time between H.E. Beriault and St. Thomas More Catholic faculties.
“A lot of the songs are inspired by interactions I’ve had with young people,” Pedersen stated.
“I just want them to get the message that hey, things can be hard but there’s hope, there’s second chances, there’s getting yourself up, dusting yourself off, and move forward.”
And, if juggling his work as a police officer and Juno-nominated musician isn’t sufficient, Pedersen can be a father to 4 daughters.
“It can be a challenge. There’s a lot of times you get double booked… but the people around me are really supportive. My wife is very supportive,” he stated. “It’s full. It’s busy, but it’s good,” he stated.
“It gets you up every morning. It gets you excited to get out of bed and live life when you’re living things that are purposeful, meaningful and part of your passion.”
Stirling John carried out at H.E. Beriault’s college expertise present on Friday earlier than flying to Halifax this weekend for the Junos.
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