Badger native gets taste of Juno fame

Badger native gets taste of Juno fame

By RYAN COOKE

From dropping the gloves with a former NHL tough guy, to signing autographs on the red carpet, it was certainly a weekend to remember for Kellie Loder.

The 22-year-old singer/songwriter spent the weekend in Ottawa where she was nominated for a Juno, Canada’s most prestigious musical awards.

Loder was nominated in the “Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year” category back in February. While the award went to another artist, Loder says the experience of being there overshadowed the loss.

“To be nominated is a huge privilege,” she said. “It’s a little disappointing that I didn’t win, but I had lots of fun and it was great just being here.”

Loder got to experience the full effect of the event, from a dinner and gala, right down to the red carpet.

She got the chance to walk the red carpet with her family, stopping along the way for pictures and autographs.

“It was great to get a taste of fame,” she said.

Loder also got to take part in what is likely the most interesting event of the Juno weekend, the Juno Cup; a faceoff on the ice between the artists and NHL alumni.

On the musicians side, artists such as Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, Chris Murphy of Sloan, and Sam Roberts all suited up to go against NHL legends such as Paul Coffey, Claude Lemieux  and Gary Roberts.

Loder, a former EVH Eagle and no stranger to the ice, put up a goal in the game and even dropped the gloves with former NHL tough guy Troy Crowder.

“It was a great experience,” she said. “I got to build some foundations and relationships with some great people.”

As a first time nominee, Loder says she prepared herself to not be too carried away by the awe of the star-studded event.

“I just kind of put myself in their shoes, and thought how they would act. I wasn’t overly star struck, but it was definitely exciting.”

Another highlight of her weekend came when she was invited to Cuddy’s hotel suite for an after party that many of the musicians attended. The experience was something she said not many people would expect from celebrity musicians such as Cuddy.

“It was like a big kitchen party basically, everyone was singing and passing around guitars,” she said. “Jim Cuddy is such a down to earth guy.”

Loder’s album, Imperfections and Directions, was released and promoted independently, and went up against several other albums released through divisions of major labels such as EMI.

However, Loder said coming from a small town like Badger and not having a major label backing her has never held her back from believing in herself, and her music.

“I think anything is possible if you work hard enough and stick at it.”

Now with a foot in the door and a taste of fame, this is likely only the beginning for the young musician.

Kellie Loder signs autographs for fans as she walks the red carpet at Sunday's Juno Awards. Photo courtesy Facebook.