N.L. country artist a finalist in nationwide competition

He’s already a rising star in the country music world, but Jason Benoit is now one of top three artists voted for Siriusxm’s Top of the Country competition.

The Newfoundland native from Fox Island River has gone from playing bars to having four top 30 hits on the Canadian Country Billboard chart and winning a Canadian Country Music Award since breaking onto the scene in 2013.

The Sirius XM Top of the Country competition, presented in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), currently has three finalists: Leaving Thomas from Calgary, Andrew Hyatt from Sudbury, and Benoit.

The artists are competing for $25,000 plus songwriting and mentoring sessions, and all three will have a chance to perform at one of the country’s top three biggest country music festivals this summer, including the Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Cavendish, P.E.I., Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alta., and a Siriusxm-sponsored festival in Ontario to be determined.

The finalists will compete on stage this September at the Siriusxm CCMA Top of the Country Finale in Hamilton, ON during Country Music Week. It will also be aired live on Siriusxm’s CBC Country channel.

The winner will be determined by a combination of judging panelists and audience votes.

To watch the finalist videos, visit siriusxm.ca/topcountry.

SUBMITTED Newfoundland native Jason Benoit’s first full-length album “Waves” was released last year, and this year he’s competing to be “Top of the Country” in a joint Siriusxm and CCMA contest.