When the 11-year-old Xuan Trzebiatowski starts to play her guitar and sing, you can feel and see that country music is her passion.
But why country? “I’m not that good at pop,” said Xuan, who’s nominated in three categories in the independent Josie Music Awards, which take place in Tennessee in September.
Besides, she said, she grew up with country music, which her family loves. Xuan, however, is quick to draw a distinction between what many people listen to and what she and her family enjoy.
"A lot of people listen to modern country music," she said. "But that's not the kind of country music I sing."
"I would like to be a musician but my main goal is to spread traditional country music again because it's kind of just fading away."
Xuan started singing in public last August at the Fox Mountain Country Music Festival in Aylesford. Her family had gone to the festival for many years but it wasn’t until last year that Xuan decided to go on stage to sing.
Besides guitar, Xuan can play two other instruments. Although she doesn’t play her ukulele as much anymore, she organized a ukulele band with some of her classmates at Elmsdale District Elementary School, where she just finished Grade 5.
Xuan also plays classical music on the piano – but whether she chooses the piano or guitar depends on her mood at any given time, she said.
She also has her own Facebook page, with over 700 likes, and her own YouTube channel. Xuan is very excited and surprised that so many people enjoy the music that she loves.
Xuan’s idol is Dolly Parton so, of course, her favourite song to sing is a Parton tune: Tennessee Mountain. Xuan said it also exercises her voice because she likes to sing very high, like Parton does.
The young musician is nominated in three categories — world artist, junior vocalist and junior artist of the year — in the Josie awards, which will take place in the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., in September.
To make the trip possible, Xuan is doing a fundraising concert July 28 at the Nine Mile River Community Centre in Nine Mile River in the East Hants.
And even if she is able to make the trip, Xuan doesn’t care if she wins or not. “I just started,” she said.
