Mortlach musician in the running for top international award
A Moose Jaw-area country singer is in the running for a top award with an international music organization and needs public support to take home the gold. Shawn Adams, 45, is a singer-songwriter who lives near Mortlach and has been nominated for a gold record of the month award with the International Singer Songwriters Association (ISSA), based in the United States. So far Adams is in second place with 3,013 votes, or 18 per cent; the top artist has 4,561 votes, or 27 per cent. Voting is taking place at https://issasongwriters.com/vote/ and closes on Friday, Jan. 31.
Information about Adams can be found at www.facebook.com/ShawnAdamsMusicCanada/ or https://twitter.com/shawnadams73.
An anonymous fan nominated Adams for this monthly award, he explained. This has never happened before to him, so he has been overwhelmed with all the attention he has received and support from Moose Jaw and area.
The ISSA features a different music category every month, so this was the first time Adams was nominated in the country pop artist bracket since joining the organization about five years ago.
“It’s pretty incredible” to be in second place, he said. “I’m at a loss for words. Being the only Canadian out of 65 people worldwide is pretty amazing.” Adams joined the International Singer Songwriters Association after he was initially diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia six years ago. That was a hard blow to accept, he said, so instead of feeling sorry for himself, he picked up a guitar and wrote the song “Please Remember Me.” This tune was his way of ensuring his family and friends remembered him the way he was.
The song caught fire, with it being featured on the Grand Ol’ Opry’s Facebook page, on YouTube and on many independent and music sites. This led to another overwhelming response from fans.
It was after the song and music video were released in March 2018 — Moose Jaw’s Nebulous Entertainment put together the video — that Adams found out the doctor had made a misdiagnosis and he was actually suffering from a severe case of sleep apnea.
“I’m just grateful,” he chuckled. “And since I’ve been working with the right doctors, I’ve been on a sleep apnea machine the last five months. I’m just feeling 100-per-cent better.”
Adams — who is a member of the Canadian and Saskatchewan country music associations — expects to have a full-length album out sometime this year. As a country artist, he enjoys sharing stories with people, especially since it’s a good feeling when he receives a positive response to his music.
His future goal is to continue working on his music; a single from his new record is expected to receive radio airplay in the coming months. He also appreciates the support he’s received from Moose Jaw and area and hopes to bring home the gold at the end of the month.