GOING PLACES
Moskaluke is moving up
As Jess Moskaluke’s career has taken off, so has her profile at music festivals across Canada.
This week’s Country Thunder Saskatchewan festival is a perfect example. The last time Moskaluke played the event — it was the Craven Country Jamboree back then — was in 2014 and she had a Friday afternoon lineup slot for the mainstage.
Fast forward four years and Moskaluke has fashioned a series of hit singles and albums, along with Canadian Country Music Association and Juno Award victories, into a marquee spot in the mainstage lineup. Moskaluke will hit the stage at 6 p.m. on Sunday, leading into Midland and Luke Bryan who will close out the festival.
The higher profile slot means higher expectations and some additional pressure, but Moskaluke feels she’s up to the challenge.
“I think I’m ready for it. It’s been a while since I’ve been at Craven but in those four years there have been a lot of things that have happened. I’ve been having those awesome slots at other festivals so it’s really nice that I’m able to come back home and do Craven in one of those spots. I’m really excited,” said Moskaluke.
Wednesday was a big day for the Langenburg product as she received six CCMA award nominations. Moskaluke, who won the CCMA female artist of the year category in 2014, 2015 and 2016, got nominations for Apple Music Fans’ Choice Award; album of the year (Past The Past); single of the year (Past The Past); female artist of the year; video of the year (Drive Me Away); and songwriter(s) of the year (Drive Me Away).
Moskaluke, who won a Juno Award in 2017 for best country album (Kiss Me Quiet), has received accolades for her latest album, Past The Past, which was released Nov. 3, 2017. Four singles have been released from the album with the latest, Camouflage, hitting the market on June 1.
The song is a bit of a sneaky effort from Moskaluke. It seems like
another summertime song about relationships, but listening a little closer to the lyrics reveals they have a much more serious tone.
“All I can say is wait until you see the video, the song takes on a whole other life,” said Moskaluke in a recent telephone interview from her home in Rocanville. “I actually just finished watching the final version. I’ve always prided myself in having songs that were fun to listen to, songs that make you want to party and dance, but I also think that for me, country music is about lyrics and telling a story. I’ve always wondered why you couldn’t have both in one song and that’s what we did with Camouflage.
“We tried to put a really important message, a relatable message, to a song that is easy to listen to.”
The video, which will be released in the coming weeks, was directed by singer-songwriter Wes Mack, who got a ringing endorsement from Moskaluke.
“He turned the song on its head one more time,” said Moskaluke.
It’s been an interesting road for Moskaluke since she began chasing her music dreams as a teenager, competing in talent contests. She increased her profile with a huge presence on Youtube and since signing with MDM Recordings in 2011, Moskaluke has been on a serious roll. She admitted that her music has changed as she’s matured as an artist, but she doesn’t consider that to be a bad thing.
“Music changes over time, so it’s only natural that artists change over time as well. I’ve settled into who I am, as both a person and an artist and what I do, and on top of that what my fans want to hear and what they tend to appreciate. It’s always challenging because you never really know what that is,” said Moskaluke.
“Just when you think you have it, you put it out and it doesn’t work as well as you thought it would or vice versa, it works better than you thought. It’s a bit of a guessing game, but I like to think I know my fans more than anyone and hopefully they like Camouflage as much as I think they will.”
Moskaluke will be doing double duty at the festival on Sunday with her mainstage appearance at 6 p.m. followed by a performance in the beer garden at 11 p.m.