Independent Country Artists Morgan Griffiths and Kelsi Mayne Both Debut Songs on Canadian Airplay Charts

Two independent Canadian country singers are making a splash on the airplay charts this week.

Morgan Griffiths and Kelsi Mayne are both notching new debuts on the Canada Country airplay chart dated March 15.

Griffiths arrives at No. 36 with "Bourbon," a classic-themed lovelorn tune about drowning your sorrows in a bottle. It shows off a slight growl in Griffiths' vocal and wouldn't be out of place on a playlist alongside breakout Canadian stars Josh Ross and Owen Riegling.

The B.C.-based singer grew up in a musical family hailing from Newfoundland, and he's gaining strong radio traction for the independently released song, which is seeing spins on iHeartRadio stations and adds to Apple Music playlists. This is only his third single and he's still building his online presence — the radio entry could be an early sign of hits to come.

Toronto's Kelsi Mayne has a few more releases under her belt than Griffiths, including her 2020 album As I Go, and is steadily growing her profile in the Canadian country scene. The independent artist has three CMAOntario nominations and is arriving on the Canada Country chart this week with her new single "Breaking Bad" at No. 54.

The song is both gentle and propulsive, with a steady beat behind a lightly strummed acoustic guitar. Mayne describes the song as an "anthem for second wives," and the song is about gratitude for finding the love of your life, whether or not someone else got there first.

Other Canadians on the rise on the Canadian Airplay charts this week include Tia Wood, whose "Sky High" hits a new peak at No. 15 on the AC Airplay chart; Devon Cole, whose friendship ode "I Got You" cracks the top ten at No. 9 on the Hot AC; and The Trews, who score a debut with "The Breakdown" at No. 36 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

At the top of the charts, Myles Smith's "Stargazing" rules All-Format, AC Airplay, and Hot AC Airplay. Gracie Abrams' "That's So True" holds at No. 1 on CHR/Top 40 and Jordan Davis' "I Ain't Sayin" rises to the top of Canada Country. Three Days Grace's "Mayday" and Hozier's "Nobody's Soldier" continue to lead the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts, respectively.

Check out the full charts here.