Rocanville, Saskatchewan based country star Jess Moskaluke has a lot to be excited about over the last year and indeed the past 10 years.
She was a hit at Whoop up Days in 2017. Since then she earned a platinum record for her hit “Cheap Wine and Cigarettes,” the only female artist to win one since Shania Twain.
She also took home her third CCMA award for female artist of the year and just got a gold record for “Kiss Me Quiet.” A few of this year’s highlights include winning best album for her third album “Past The Past” at the 2018 CCMA awards, playing a tribute to Shania Twain, charted several hits including “Past the Past” and “Save Some of That Whiskey” and, oh yes, also married her long time boyfriend in August.
“It’s been a great year,” Moskaluke enthused from her home in Rocanville, getting distracted by her frolicking dogs, noting the highlight is getting married, though she has no plans to turn him into a musician and teach him guitar.
“He works in the oilfield. But it’s funny you ask that. I can barely play guitar myself, but I have a guitar and he’s expressed interested in learning how to play it. It will give him something to do while I’m away,” she laughed, adding juggling a busy music career and a marriage won’t be difficult.
“ We‘ve been making it work ever since I started this career,” she observed, noting she is gearing up for the first big tour of the year — The Journey Tour with Paul Brandt, High Valley and fellow Saskatchewanites the Hunter Brothers, which stops by the Enmax Centre, Monday, Jan. 28.
“ I only know what we’re doing. We’ve got a 30 minute set. The Hunter Brothers will be on first, then us, then High Valley and Paul Brandt will finish,” she outlined, adding she doesn’t know what she will be playing.
“I can’t tell you that. I’ll be playing my songs. But I don’t think I’ve ever written a set list for a show,” she mused.
Another highlight was doing an acoustic concert for CBC last year.
“I’ve done a couple of those. They’re unusual for us. But they’re a great way to highlight the songs and my voice. They’re really cool. They add a lot of variables to the music,” she said.
She is as surprised as anyone by all of the success she has enjoyed.
“I didn’t expect any of this, the tours, the hits, the Juno award, any of it,” she said, adding she has another busy year ahead of her.
“The Paul Brandt tour will take up the first part of the year. I’m really excited about the tour with Paul. I’ve got new music I’m working on new music and somewhere along the way we‘d like to squeeze a honeymoon in there someplace,” she said, adding she does all her writing in Nashville.
“I’m still in the very beginning stages of writing new music. I like to do all of my songwriting in Nashville. it’s a central hub and better than having to drive two hours for a single songwriting meeting. And I have to decide how to release it,” she said, adding she doesn’t have any date in mind to release the new music. For now, she is just excited to tour.
“I’m just excited to play and to get to see some people,” she said.
The show begins at 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 28.7 p.m. Tickets are $43, $53, $93 or $99.50.
