For the record, you’re going to want to check out this artist to watch. Canadian country singer-songwriter Kelsi Mayne rides into 2026 on the heels of her unfiltered new single “For the Record.” The therapeutic jam gives a voice to the heartbreak and clarity that came from the gut-wrenching moment she discovered someone she had long supported through addiction found someone else in the process. Now spotlighted as an On the Horizon pick by SiriusXM The Highway, the song has amassed over 100,000 streams in 3 weeks, led in part by heavy playlist support on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify (including the cover of North Country).
The accolades keep rolling in, and this is just the beginning. Below, we caught up with Kelsi to chat about New Year’s resolutions, music that finds you when you need it most, and what 2026 has in store.
What is your stance on New Year’s resolutions? Did you make any related to music or performing?
For the last few years, I’ve had the same New Year’s resolution, and it’s actually to have less of a filter. I feel like I’m doing that every year, but I still think I can speak my mind a bit more easily [and] more openly. So, I’m working on it. I think it goes hand in hand [with my music]. I think I’m much more vulnerable with my music than I am when I’m just talking.
Can you share the story behind “For the Record” and why it felt right to release when you did?
I wrote [my last single] “Someone Who Knows” when I went … from being engaged and planning my wedding in the morning to calling it off by night after I found out some things and I was just like, nope, I’m out. [It’s been] one heartbreak after another just trying to find my feet again and get out there and date again, and it’s been kind of depressing to be honest. I fell in love with someone [who] promised me the world, and he was the one that was pursuing me in the first place. And I didn’t want to get into anything, so once I let him in [and] he ended up hurting me in the end, it was like a double whammy. This song (“For the Record”) is me getting that off my chest and being like, “Hey, I didn’t even want this to begin with,” you know? But I got a lot of really good songs from it.
I have more music coming that continues with my life and the journey of where I’m at now, and they’re all going to be part of a special project I’m working on. I want to release an EP and a couple new songs along with it. I’m aiming for June, but things change constantly, so no promises — but that’s my goal.
What message do you hope your music can send to people who have experienced similar heartbreak?
It’s sad that we all share this common connection and theme with relationships and people being unfaithful and stuff. But it is so common, and I just wanted to write something that kind of gave some people a wake-up call and … a shake [to] be like, “Hey, what are we doing here? Let’s get back to our values. Let’s get back to, you know, being good people and staying true to your promises.”
Maybe that should be some people’s New Year’s resolution for 2026 – just being good.
I think so! And then if this is the song that helps trigger that change for them, then I’ve done my job as a songwriter.
You’ve talked about how you wished your last few singles existed before you wrote them. Can you think of any songs that found you at the right moment and gave you something you needed to hear?
Ooh. That’s a good question. Olivia Dean right now (sings the hook of “Man I Need”). I’m kidding. Eric Church has always been someone who’s songwriting has just been so… like, “Kill A Word,” I think it’s probably the most brilliant song ever written, and it’s just about all of the words that you wish didn’t exist. And it’s kind of like what my story is — the songs I wish I didn’t have to write, but I felt like I needed to.
You posted a video compiling clips of you hitting the epic whistle notes in your song “All or Nothing” on stage, citing it as your favourite to play live. Where is “For the Record” landing on your ranking?
I haven’t played [“For the Record”] with my full band yet, but since the day I wrote it, I’ve envisioned it to be a song performed live. I mentioned Eric Church as being one of my big influences, and if you’ve ever been to one of his concerts, you are impacted differently from when you hear [a song] live than when you hear it on the recording. So, this is one of those songs that I know is going to create that special moment in my live show that kind of changes the pace, but then, like, hits you really hard, just like [at] an Eric Church concert. I am so excited to play this one and create that special experience for everyone to be there and join and be a part of.
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You were a nationally ranked sprint hurdler before switching to music. We have to assume that strength and adrenaline transferred well to performing.
It did! I was in school for nursing and running track at the University of Windsor, and that’s when I became a national bronze medalist, and we had won our fourth national team title in a row. I was deciding on what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and I was ready to be a nurse, but I was also working part time as a “bev-ertainer.” So, I was a singer slash bartender and server at a country bar. Patrons came up to me like, “You know what? You should consider doing this as your job.” It was an easy decision for me because it was one of those things that I just thought I would regret if I didn’t try.
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As you grow, it’s important to have people who will give you honest feedback, and you’ve told the story about how a VP at Big Loud told you your debut album was “good, but not great.” How do you take a comment like that, whether it’s from a high-profile VP or someone online, and use it as creative fuel?
[With] the more “no”s you get, I feel like that’s been my motivation. Sports kind of taught me that too; the more times you are disappointed, the more you want to just redeem yourself. And … it doesn’t do anyone any good to sugarcoat anything, so I think the honesty is the most valuable thing for me. [My] favourite feedback that I ever got was from Shilo Bellis from Stingray, and he is completely blind. He’s the only one in the world that I’ve had so far that only can judge me on his hearing. I showed him “Someone Who Knows” and a few others, and he’d said, “Kelsi, these songs need to be out in the world.” And when he told me that, that hit me the hardest, so that was like the biggest approval of all approvals for me.
How would you say your sound has evolved so that when the new project comes out, we’re just going to hear “it’s great” in response?
I hope that’s the case! I just feel like now I finally know what I’m writing about. I feel like I’ve lived 40 lives in the last like, 2 years. So, if someone asked me to write a fun party song, I can do that. You need me to write a heartbreak song? I can do that. So, I feel like I’m at the place in my life where it’s just all making sense.
We love that for you. And we love that for us because we’re getting the results of it with this fantastic music. Is there anything else you can tease for fans to look forward to this year?
I have a really cool music video (for “For the Record”) coming up. My brother’s a filmmaker, which is very convenient for me. All of my music videos, actually, I’ve produced and created with him, and they look very high budget, but it’s mostly just the two of us. He [also] taught me how to edit, so everything that’s out there, I’ve edited myself too. It’s just an extra thing that I didn’t know that I loved to do, just like my songwriting. I didn’t really know I loved that so much until I’d tried it. So, these are a couple new passions of mine that I can’t live without now.
Thank you, Kelsi! Stream “For the Record” now and watch out for the upcoming music video and more music later this year.
See you back here soon with another artist and music release for you to love at first listen! Have a suggestion or pitch? You know where to find us!
Happy listening xx
