Even though Kym Simon's first two albums were "very country," her third offering, Mirror, is a more rock-country blend.
"It's sort of like Travis Tritt meets Alanna Myles," the former Stettlerite said.
Raised on a farm just outside of Stettler, Simon lived and performed in the community until she moved away at 18, but her heart — and her family — have remained in central Alberta.
The five-track album was produced at MCC Recording Studio in Edmonton and was released at the end of January, with a release party in Nisku. Simon said she chose Nisku because it was central to all her bases of operation — Edmonton where she recorded, Devon where she now lives, and still near enough for friends and family to come from the Stettler area.
The first single from the album, Come on Back, was out in October. At the end of January, the second single, Mirror, was released and is now playing on several Alberta radio stations, including Stettler's Q93.3.
Simon said plans are in the works to get a Stettler performance scheduled, but a date hasn't been nailed down quite yet.
"As soon as I know, I'll be letting you know," she said. "I'm very excited."
Simon began performing in public in her teenage years while in high school, going on to play at the Stettler Country Jamboree. After she moved away, she continued to pursue music, now making a full-time career out of it.
Country was where she was drawn, being raised in the heart of Alberta and in a musically-minded family. Her parents were in a band — Elmer's Mixin' It Up — and her grandparents performed, too.
"Country is what I love," she said, though she notes she listens to a wide variety of musical genres, including rock, metal and pop.
"My older brother was into AC/DC and Metallica so I listened to quite a bit of that, too," she said.
Want to get your hands on a free copy of Mirror? The Stettler Independent has three copies to give away next week. Head on over to www.facebook.com/StettlerIndependent to find the contest post and have your chance at the CDs or some of the special Kym Simon swag.