A woman with ties to Prince Albert is shining on the national stage. (Submitted Photo/ Copperblue Photography and Design)

By Ronald Quaroni

Prairie Artist

Saskatchewan artist wins national award

Aug 31, 2019 | 12:00 PM

Artist Kasia Leigh Leonard has a wide variety of styles; folk, country, blues and ragtime. She enjoys blending happy melodies with melancholy lyrics. Someone once told her, that unique style made her the ‘Quentin Tarantino of music.’

While Leonard may not write and star in blockbuster movies, she certainly has a knack for writing and performing witty and original music.

Leonard’s talents have even earned her one of five, Young Canadian Songwriter Awards, presented by the Society of Composers Authors and Music Publishers (SOCAN) Foundation and sponsored by SiriusXM, for her song; Love Song #1.

Not one to miss out on the chance of attending a show, Leonard was in Big River, Sk. when she heard the news.

“I was insanely shocked,” Kasia Leigh Leonard told paNOW. “I was at Ness Creek, I had no service and out of the blue, my phone went off, and here I had been chosen as one of the five winners.”

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Her application for the award was one out of a couple hundred from artists from across Canada. A point of pride for Leonard, she was the only winner from a western province.

“I’m really excited and proud to be able represent the west. I just hope I do well,” she explained.

Julien Boumard Coallier is the program administrator for the SOCAN Foundation. Boumard Coallier told paNOW the artists were chosen by a jury of prominent artists, songwriters and performers.

“(The winners) they are chosen because they are very promising artists with a lot of talent,” Julien Boumard Coallier said. “When we contact them, there is this great feeling of, ‘wow we are being recognized by professional people in the music industry and well-known artists.’”

Along with the award, the five winners also received a cash prize of $5,000.

Kasia Leigh Leonard plans to put the money towards her music; shooting videos, releasing new music and maybe purchasing some instruments.

“I have a couple of things planned, but I really want to be smart about it,” Leonard said.

Leonard who grew up in Kinistino and spent some time in Prince Albert, is now living in Saskatoon. She currently works as a server and is about to start teaching guitar lessons. She hopes one day music can be a full-time job.

“I just want to tour and meet people,” Leonard said.

She added anyone wanting to follow her music can do so on her website.

–

Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni