Tenille Townes (born Tenille Nicole Nadkrynechny; January 20, 1994) is a Canadian country music singer from Grande Prairie, Alberta. In 2011, at the age of 17, she was nominated for a Canadian Country Music Award for Female Artist of the Year.
Biography
Townes was raised in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and attended Peace Wapiti Academy high school. She was introduced to country music by her parents and grandparents during trips in the family car. At the age of nine, she attended a concert by Shania Twain during her Up! Tour bearing a sign asking for chance to sing with Twain on stage, which Twain granted. In 2009, she released the single "Home Now", a song she wrote from the perspective of a daughter whose father is posted in the war in Afghanistan, a topic she learned about in school. The track was produced by country musician Duane Steele.
Townes released her first album, Real, in June 2011. She has raised over $1.9 million for Sunrise House, a shelter for homeless youth in Alberta, through her annual fundraiser, Big Hearts For Big Kids. She appeared on the national television show Canada AM in August 2011, performing her single "Real Me," and has released multiple songs to radio. She released her second album, Light, in March 2013. That same year, she relocated to Nashville.
Although Townes started her career under her birthname, she later changed her surname.
