Prince Albert country music star Josh Stumpf wants to take another step in his career, but he needs a few votes to do it.
The local musician, who was named co-winner of the Saskatchewan Country Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year Award in 2024, is looking to add another accolade to his name with SiriusXM Canada’s Top of the Country Competition.
“It’s awesome,” Stumpf said when asked about taking part in the Canada-wide competition. “It feels kind of crazy. I’ve seen the way the program worked in previous years, so it’s kind of just an honour to be thought of in this regard to be worthy of even having my name go in my hat for this. I’m pretty stoked.”
Stumpf is one of eight musicians from seven provinces who reached the semi-finals of the SiriusXM competition. Canadian music fans have until April 14 to visit topcountry.siriusxm.ca and vote for their favourite artist.
Stumpf said just getting to the semi-finals has been a wild ride.
“Everybody’s been super supportive,” he said when asked about the response from family and friends in Prince Albert. “I get lots of texts and different messages…. They’re pretty pumped.”
Each musician recorded an original song and video to help voters chose who makes the finals. Stumpf’s offering, ‘Left Over Whiskey’, focuses on the doomed feeling of going through a break-up.
“It’s like you’re just hung out to dry, essentially. That’s the kind of emotion we’re trying to evoke with that song,” he said.
Stumpf co-wrote the song with writing partner Dave Thomson. Stumpf said they wrote it several months ago and put it in the bank, waiting for the right time to release it.
“I write quite frequently, so we had some options to choose from,” Stumpf explained.
The SiriusXM competition is held in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). The top contenders will go on to perform on major stages throughout the summer as they compete for the $25,000 grand prize, and the chance to be crowned 2026 Top of the Country champion.
The competition will wrap up this September in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with a finale concert taking place as part of the CCMA’s Country Music Week 2026.
Stumpf said he wants to keep pushing his music career forward. He said the prize money is a “cool bonus on top”, but the best part is the exposure.
“This (competition) is great to showcase to the rest of the country who I am as an artist and what I’m capable of and what we can do,” he said. “We’re going to continue to roll out some great singles, and hopefully this helps us get to the next level and the next phase of my artistic career.”
