News Article

Country singer says CNA made her dream a reality


12/8/2009 11:24:46 AM


Music Industry and Performance graduate Karla Pilgrim took home the Country Artist of the Year and Female Artist of the Year awards at the MusicNL awards gala.

Karla Pilgrim says she never would have got her start in the music business without first honing her skills at College of the North Atlantic (CNA).

The folk/country singer from Roddickton cleaned up at the Music Newfoundland and Labrador awards gala last month, taking home the Country Artist of the Year and Female Artist of the Year awards. This achievement marks the first time a Music Industry and Performance (MIP) graduate has received an industry award.

Pilgrim says she discovered her true talents when she moved to Bay St. George to complete the MIP program.

“My time in Stephenville was very defining for me. I was 19 and didn't have any idea of what was available in the music industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. I thought I had to go to Nashville. So, I had a really big dream and nothing to do with it before I enrolled at the MIP program at CNA,” said Pilgrim.

Life as a teen in Roddickton was pretty sheltered. The only radio station she heard was CBC and there was no cable television at home. She was obsessed with country music though, and wanted to make a life for herself as a famous musician.

“I asked myself ‘how would I ever have enough money to go live in Nashville to make my dream happen?’ So, long story short, when I moved to Stephenville and started attending college and realized there was a whole world out there in terms of the music industry, I was so relieved and excited,” said Pilgrim.

She finally felt normal about her passion for music after she started the MIP program as everyone around her had the same drive for music.

“I was so used to getting odd looks or people telling me I had something wrong with me when I'd react a certain way to a song. Finally I found like-minded people to play with, literally. I was accepted in such a way that I gained so much confidence and just fell in love with the people and the life I had there. I always try to come back every year and do a show,” she said.

Pilgrim took everything she learned at the MIP program, along with a hunger for music and moved to St. John’s. Her songwriting talents soared when her debut album I’ll Think of You was released in July 2009. Now, her universal country and folk songs reach a wide range of people.

“We all go through life having very similar experiences, just at different times in our lives. I don't write about things I have no idea about. I think I come off as real and the songs I sing are real life. I've only been writing lyrics a year or so now and I find that the simplest songs are the ones that get the biggest reaction. As I grow personally and musically, I know there'll be someone out there listening who's already lived through the things I'll be writing about and will know where I'm coming from,” Pilgrim said.

This country songstress did not expect to win at the MusicNL awards. She says it was just icing on the cake to win Female Artist of the Year.

“This couldn't have happened at a better time. I've just moved home after being away for almost a year, I'm getting ready to start writing for a new album and I am looking forward to taking full advantage of what's happening around me right now,” she said.

Pilgrim says she’s going to take it easy for the Holidays and enjoy being home in Roddickton. However, in the new year, she’s heading back to St. John’s to focus on the music once again. Pilgrim will also be heading to Cape Breton in March to attend the East Coast Music Awards where she has been nominated for Country Recording of the Year.

“This is a very exciting time for me right now. I'm taking it one day at a time - and enjoying every minute.”

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Media contact:

Colleen Connors
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709-643-6408
colleen.connors@cna.nl.ca