Sudbury-based country music artist Chad Rivette has been awarded the Gold for International Entertainer of the Year at the International Singer-Songwriter Association (ISSA) Awards.
Competing against singer-songwriters from the USA, UK, India, New Zealand, and Canada, Rivette’s victory is a significant achievement for both his career and Canadian country music, as he brings this distinguished honor back to his hometown, said a press release from Sudbury Performance Group, which said it “has been fostering his development for the past 10 years.”
With all of this said, Rivette said he would not be where he is without his partner Carey Blackwell, who he said has done the instrumental arrangements for his tunes.
"Winning this award is a dream come true," Rivette shared. "To bring this recognition home to Canada and to know that my music is resonating with people across the world is an incredible honor. I’m grateful to my fans, my family, and everyone who has supported me on this journey."
A mainstay of The Trevi Bar & Grill for many years, Rivette would entertain by playing cover tunes (mostly country) and running the restaurant’s popular karaoke nights.
While previous efforts to write his own music have been less than successful, Rivette became an empty-nester in 2022 and decided that this was the time in his life to really go for it, and start writing music seriously, the release states.
As of last year, he’d written 37 songs, and released a single, “I Fall Back.”
The emotional country tune is inspired by the grief of his mother’s passing from cancer 23 years ago. It became a No. 1 song on Music Mafia Radio. Over the past six months, Rivette has released two additional No. 1 singles on the same internet radio station.
Rivette has also collaborated with Sudbury’s own Natalie Crispo, Renée Frappier and Jordan Lalonde, resulting in two more original songs hitting No. 1 on the top 10, top 20, and top 30 charts, the press release states, marking his fifth No. 1 single on that station in the past 15 months. Additionally, he is currently writing with Nashville singer-songwriter Trenton Chandler.
For more information on Chad Rivette's upcoming releases and tour dates, visit his website.