A Deroche country artist was named a semi-finalist for a nationwide competition.
Annika Catharina was one of eight artists to make it to the semi-finals of Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and SiriusXM’s seventh annual Top of the Country Competition.
“I’m still kind of shocked that I'm in the top eight. It's just such an amazing competition that I look forward to seeing every year and applying for, but to actually be in it is just something else. And I'm just super pumped,” Catharina said.
Catharina released her first music in 2021 after recovering from a life-changing accident.
She says she broke her jaw and chin after brakes expelled on a faulty scooter, leading to a series of dental surgeries that followed her for years.
“It probably wasn't until 2020 when I felt I was fully healed that I could recover and kind of go full force with music,” she said.
Initially, Catharina wasn’t comfortable enough after the accident to put herself out with her music.
“I looked different and being a performer, you're very much out there. And I just felt like I wasn't ready during the time of healing. And then after COVID, it was like, ‘okay, I'm going for this,” she said.
The accident changed her perspective and added a sense of relief.
“Today could be the last day. I really took that mindset and now every day I'm just living like there's no tomorrow, but within limits – not living recklessly, but just really valuing every single day that you get,” she said.
The spark that ignited Catharina’s interest in music was her family’s love for entertaining.
“My earliest memories are spending time with my family doing skits and just loving the performing side of the arts. And then somewhere down the line, I realized you can sing with your voice and that was just a whole other experience that I loved,” she said.
She fell in love with the country genre by singing along to Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson. Catharina, who attended Hatzic High School, went on to participate in competitions and started to notice her potential when she did well.
Now, people in the Deroche and Mission area are starting to recognize her as an artist.
“People that have been coming since I was young watching me and having them follow me on this journey and and hear them say how proud they are of you, is super exciting and fulfilling,” she said,
Since taking up songwriting, most of Catharina’s releases have been related to personal experiences.
She says it’s a lot easier to start a song when it’s personal, but that also comes with challenges.
“It's more vulnerable for me when I know the people … I don't share too much about my personal life on social media, but in my hometown, everyone kind of knows what has happened. So when they hear this really raw song – my last single, for instance, was really honest – I got a couple messages. People are like, hey, what's what's going on?”
Catharina is set to record an original track in studio as part of the SiriusXM competition to be shared with the public.
A $25,000 grand prize, industry mentorship opportunities, a songwriting trip to Nashville and performances at major events are on the line.
An online vote will determine the three finalists who will be featured in a summer of showcase opportunities, including performing at Lasso Montréal (August 15-16, 2025) and attending the 2025 CMA Fest in Nashville.
The first round of voting is expected in early April.
Catharina will be keeping busy as the competition goes on. She expects to release a new EP in May and will perform an acoustic show at HubCo. Brewing in Mission on April 3.
Catharina says she is embracing the challenges of releasing music as an independent.
“If you're open to learning each step and taking all the little failures and using those to help guide you in the next process, I think the releasing process can be really fun,” she said.
