"I first heard Mariya in a country bar in Calgary, Alberta. She captivated the room with just an acoustic guitar and her voice and "Hands On My Body" sounded like a hit, even in that simple setting.”
- Carly Klassen - Executive Director, Alberta Music
MUSIC
ABOUT MARIYA
If Kacey Musgraves and Meghan Trainor had a country-soul love-child, the result would be Calgary, Canada based country artist Mariya Stokes. Country Music Alberta’s 2019 Female Artist of the Year introduced herself to the Canadian music scene with two singles in 2010. Her debut single, "Hands on My Body”, currently has over 140,000 streams on Spotify and was shortly followed by "Christmas, Arizona”, which landed on the Top 100 on the Canadian Holiday Chart. Her current single at Canadian Country Radio, “Rebound”, was released in October 2020 was featured as the “Next Big Thing” on the Casey Clarke Country Countdown and can be heard on Spotify and Apple Music curated playlists. Stokes will be releasing follow-up singles in early 2021.
Growing up in the small town of Stavely, Alberta an hour south of Calgary, Stokes spent time in her parents' small-town bar, and at eight years old, was sneaking in on Friday afternoons to sing with the local jam band. She has been pursuing music ever since with a heavy focus on songwriting. Multiple artists have recorded songs co-written with Stokes, including CCMA nominees Leaving Thomas ("Like I Used To", May 2019) and alt-pop singer Celia Palli ("Paralyzed" and “Glitter”, January 2019).
A seasoned performer, Stokes has opened for acts including Doc Walker, Jann Arden, Ru-Pauls Drag Race superstar Trixie Mattel, and Jade Eagleson and was one of three artists selected to work with 19-time CCMA winner Terri Clark at the National Music Centre during their RBC Master in Residence program in 2019. She was the 2019 runner-up in Project WILD, a country focused artist development program run by WILD 95.3 FM (Calgary) and Alberta Music.
Stokes cares deeply about her community and is an Artist in Residence for the Women's Centre of Calgary in 2020. In support of the Women's Centre, she produced and hosted two Live Band Karaoke fundraisers. She also worked on a project with the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre called "Shelter From the Storm", writing original songs, poems, and stories that captured the essence of the community with clients of the organization. They released their first album, also entitled "Shelter From the Storm", in 2015 and released their second in 2016, entitled "Verses Vs. Homelessness", which features her song "Lucky". She has also independently created and executed two coat drives for the Drop-In Centre.
INTRODUCING MARIYA STOKES
MUSIC VIDEO - HANDS ON MY BODY
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Alberta Country Music Association's 2019 Female Artist of the Year (January, 2020)
Runner up in Project WILD which is a country artist development program run by Alberta Music, WILD 95.3 (Calgary), and Jim Pattison Group (November, 2019)
Debut single "Hands on My Body" released digitally (February 2019)
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Debuted at #10 on iTunes Canadian Country Chart
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#8 most sold single in Canada on iTunes the week of February 1st, 2019 (TopCountry.ca)
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Added to Spotify's curated New Music Nashville and Down Home Country playlists
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Currently has over 120,000 streams on Spotify alone
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Added to Stingrays Pop Adult Streaming Channel
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Radio debut on Sun Country 99.7FM's (High River) "Made in Alberta" (Feb. 2, 2019)
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#1 Most Active Indie at Canadian Radio the week of August 9th, 2019 (Yangaroo/DMDS)
Worked with Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk during SOCAN Song House at Breakout West in Whitehorse, Yukon (October, 2019)
Worked with Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee and Opry Member, Terri Clark, during her RBC Master in Residence program at National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta (May, 2019)
Played over 100 shows in Canada in 2019
Celia Palli (alternative pop artist and a backing vocalist for Nelli Furtado) digitally released "Paralyzed" co-written with Mariya Stokes (January 2019)
Blues-country artist Devin Cooper digitally released "Nothin' on You", co-written with Mariya Stokes and Aaron Pollock (April 2018)
Selected to participate in Canada's Music Incubator's Artist Entrepreneur program (August - September 2017)
Two songs featured on the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre's albums "Shelter From the Storm" (2015) and "Verses Vs. Homelessness" (2016) in Calgary, Alberta
LIVE VIDEO
RECENT PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
Alberta Country Music Awards Show - Red Deer, AB - January 2020
Hearth Restaurant - Saskatoon, SK - December 2019 (SOLD OUT)
Direct Support for Jocelyn Alice at Grey Cup Festival - Calgary, AB - November 2019
Country Thunder Alberta - Calgary, AB - August 2019 & 2018
Direct Support & Guitar Player/Background Vocalist for Trixie Mattel & Nice Horse - Calgary, AB - July 2019
Terri Clark Master in Residence Songwriter Round - National Music Centre, Calgary, AB - May 2019
Mi Futuro Fundraiser - Mazatlan, Mexico - April 2019 (SOLD OUT)
Rogers Hometown Hockey - Lethbridge, AB - March 2019
Alberta Spotlight with National Music Centre - Calgary, AB - November 2018
Direct Support for Jann Arden at Palace Theatre - Calgary, AB - September 2018
ACMA at CCMA Showcase - Hamilton, ON - September 2018
Women of Country Music CCMA Showcase - Hamilton, ON - September 2018
Coca-Cola Stage at Calgary Stampede - Calgary, AB - July 2018
Direct Support for Leaving Thomas at Palace Theatre - Calgary, AB - January 2018
Canada's Music Incubator Artist Entrepreneur Showcase - Toronto, ON - September 2017
PHOTOS
"Mariya is easy to work with and brings amazing energy to our events. She is professional, punctual, flexible, and a great entertainer. If you’re looking for that key piece to your next event, Mariya is it; uber-talented and seamlessly integrates herself into your event with minimal direction."
- Paul Webster, The Glencoe Club
"Mariya Stokes is an excellent musician. She thinks creatively and uniquely as an artist; her work ethic is exemplary - she is prepared and dependable; she has a passion for performing and continually learning about music; I respect her extraordinary talents as a singer/songwriter and musician."
TESTIMONIALS
“Mariya Stokes is not only an incredibly talented musician but also fantastic to work with. She always ensures that the client’s needs are met through her professionalism and willingness to go above and beyond expectations.”
- Kelsey VanRaay, Fuze Entertainment
"Mariya brought the soundtrack to our dream come true wedding to life! Our friends and family are STILL talking about what a fun dance we had at our wedding, and the amazing band. Almost all 400 of our guests were out on the dance floor as the variety of music covered by the band was astounding and connected with all ages."
- Jaqueline Hall
"She is an incredibly talented songwriter and has a very unique, quirky, and super catchy style. On top of all of this, she is also a fantastic singer. Mariya is also driven, an extremely hard worker, and has a great attitude. I truly believe she will be a well-known artist on the Canadian Music scene in the short years to come."
PRESS
"Hands on My Body"
This song is a beautiful indie-pop record that bridges the worlds of pop/soul and country music. On this record, the Alberta-born, Canadian singer/songwriter gets uncompromising about what she wants, making “Hands On My Body” a possible anthem for women who are equally direct with their desires.”
- Aipate
"'Hands on My Body' is a sugar-sweet temptation, wrapped in a little bit of slow funk."
"The song itself has a sparkle and Mariya’s vocals glitter - I was hooked in the first 10 seconds. "Hands on My Body" will be stuck your head and you’ll be grooving along, singing along and putting it on repeat!"
- Sarah Scott , 99.7 Sun Country
"The Abrams, Mariya Stokes Earn Strong Nods From Country Radio"
"With a degree in life and music, Calgary country artist Mariya Stokes is in it for the "slowburn"
"After seeing Mariya Stokes’ “Hands On My Body” appear on the Top Country Sales Chart back in February, I was immediately hooked. The song is catchy, fun and full of good vibes."
- Mary Murill, Top Country Artists You Need To Discover - Top Country
CONTACT
Info & Bookings
SOCIAL LINKS