Mariya Stokes is a country-Americana artist known for her quick wit, candid storytelling, and for unapologetically stealing your Grandma’s clothes. With a voice as distinct as her retro style, Country Music Alberta’s two-time Female Artist of the Year is set to release her debut full-length album in early 2025.  

Produced by Juno Award-winners Justin Kudding and Spencer Cheyne, alongside frequent collaborator Lucas Gienow, the record’s anthemic choruses, gritty storytelling, and snappy bass-lines trace the edges of a sound that doesn’t settle neatly into one box. But neither does Stokes. Her most recent single, 'F*ck Pretty' released in January 2025, lives closer to pop than country, musically and thematically.​​​

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“I want every song I release to be a surprise.” Stokes says, “I’m a songwriter first; everything I write is rooted in country storytelling, but if the production needed to serve the song bends outside of the genre, I’ll go there. If people hear my songs and are shocked by how drastically my sound changes with each release, I know I’m on the right track.”

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Growing up in Stavely, Alberta, Stokes found her voice early, sneaking into her parents’ small-town bar at just eight years old to sing with the local jam band and falling in love with live music. Now a seasoned performer with recent dates on the main-stage at Country Thunder Alberta (AB), Cavendish Beach Music Festival (PEI), and AmericanaFest in Nashville, TN, she has opened for artists including Dallas Smith, Jade Eagleson, Mackenzie Porter, and played guitar for Ru-Paul’s Drag Race superstar Trixie Mattel.

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​In 2024, Stokes earned national recognition as a semi-finalist in SiriusXM’s Top of the Country, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association, further solidifying her reputation as one of Canada’s most promising rising artists. During the program, Stokes recorded her previous single, 'One of ‘Em', at Bryan Adam’s studio, ‘The Warehouse’ in Vancouver, BC. The song was added to SiriusXM’s Top of the Country station.

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​With over 800,000 streams across platforms, Stokes' previous singles have laid the foundation for her upcoming record. From the laid-back, guitar heavy ‘Break My Heart’  to the R&B-infused ‘Hands on My Body', Stokes’ music is both bold and emotionally resonant. Her 2021 single 'Rebound,' a vulnerable ballad, was featured as the “Next Big Thing” on the Casey Clarke Country Countdown, while 'Christmas, Arizona' cracked the Top 100 on the BDS Canadian Holiday Chart.​

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​​​​A three-time CMAB 'Songwriter of the Year' nominee, Stokes has co-written songs recorded by artists across genres. Notably, 'Like I Used To' by CCMA nominees Leaving Thomas and 'Exes and Friends' by former SiriusXM Top of the Country finalist Shantaia. A co-writer on the title track of Ben Chase’s ECMA-nominated album, 'That Was Then, This Is Now' the album reached #1 on the iTunes Top Country Albums Chart in Canada and Stokes leant her vocals to the track 'Met To Young’. Her voice is also heard on the European pop project Hearts On The Run, licenced by Universal Music Group Norway.

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Giving back to the communities that raised her is at the heart of Stokes' career. As an artist representative on the CCMA 2022 Host Committee, she co-chaired the Legacy and Community Engagement Committee and helped plan Canadian Country Music Week in Calgary. In 2020, she served as an Artist in Residence at the Women’s Centre of Calgary. She also volunteered at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre, working on two charity records and independently organizing multiple coat drives for the organization.

Whether she’s travelling to Austin, TX to represent her home province internationally or moonlighting as a ghost vocalist for a pop project, Stokes’ authenticity and unapologetic 1970s-inspired style continue to shine through. With a new album on the horizon, Stokes is ready to share her next chapter—a sound that’s as bold and unapologetic as the stories she’s been telling since day one.

“I love an dance-pop dance track as much as I love an acoustic country ballad that rips your heart out.  So why not make a record with both?”