Little taking ‘High Road’ this summer

While the world can often feel like a dreary place these days, country music artist Nelson Little is attempting to provide a small reprieve from all the doom and gloom through his latest single titled "High Road."

Talking to the Sun on Wednesday, the 42-year-old Métis musician said he has come out of the last two years living under the COVID-19 pandemic with an optimistic outlook on life, although he totally understands if some people are still down in the dumps.

"We went through some trying times in the last couple years," he said. "And no matter what industry or field you work in, we’re all affected … in a negative way. Some days we lost interest in what we’re doing, and there’s days we just had to wait."

Outside of his own personal struggles throughout the pandemic, Little admits that recording "High Road" was fraught with its own complications due to constantly changing health restrictions, which forced him and his team to complete a lot of the pre-production remotely.

"Preparing it and everything was all done by email. We would send each other audio clips of samples and whatnot," he said.

"Then getting into the studio, it felt like you knew it already … and then step by step, we recorded each track over the few months of the winter and had it prepared for May."

And now that in-person shows and concerts are returning thanks to loosened COVID restrictions, Little is more than happy to provide a new upbeat single like "High Road" that taps into a renewed sense of optimism, with the chorus of the song proclaiming: "No it ain’t too late, we ain’t too far gone. Cuz there’s more love than hate, and there’s more right than wrong."

"This one seems to be more of an attention grabber than some of the other stuff I’ve put out," he said, having already received a lot of positive feedback for the song since its May 20 release. "And it feels good to have something I’m creating and experiencing being recognized and appreciated by a lot of people."

Of course, Little is no stranger to using music as a tool to bring about emotional catharsis.

Growing up on a farm north of Riding Mountain National Park, between Winnipegosis and Pine River, Little first picked up a guitar in his late teens, since he needed something to focus on following the sudden death of his cousin.

"I think back then it was more of a healing tool for myself, to have music, hear music and be a part of it."

After performing at various talent shows and community events, Little eventually joined the cover band 100 Years Rising, although he decided to pursue his solo career around 2010.

The subsequent decade would prove to be a productive time for the singer-songwriter, with his debut album, "The Little Things," landing in 2013 and garnering him significant industry attention.

Members of the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards even named him 2014’s "Most Outstanding Manitoban."

By the time Little’s sophomore album, "Ain’t Afraid of the Truth," rolled around in 2015, he had gradually shifted his focus from writing about partying and good times to more emotional topics like raising a family, mirroring his own growing role as a father.

"Writing real songs, living through them, they speak a little bit louder than trying to write raunchy country music," he said. "The hype of the whiskey and the girls … I’ve tried writing in that avenue, and I think it’s just for someone else now."

Little is currently hard at work building on this artistic pivot with a third album, which he is hoping to complete by sometime next year.

But for right now, the recording artist is using the remainder of this summer to reconnect with fans, having already performed live in Dauphin and his current home of Portage la Prairie last month.

While getting back on stage after such a lengthy hiatus has been a "little nerve-wracking" so far, Little has booked another pair of shows for early July, wanting to use this public space to workshop new songs through his accompanying musicians.

"The guys we use, they’re all great," he said. "So it will be nice to put our characters together on this new material. That’s what I’m looking forward to."

In the meantime, Little implores his fellow musicians to take the high road with him over the next couple months, and embrace whatever opportunities come their way.

"The work is out there," he said. "You’ve just got to get out and find it."

Little is scheduled to perform in Portage la Prairie and Winnipegosis on July 8 and July 9, respectively. To purchase tickets to these shows, or to find out more about Little’s music in general, visit nelsonlittle.com.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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