A dream is set to become a reality for Weyburn's own Brayden King, who will be making his main stage debut at the Country Thunder music festival in Craven this weekend. In a last-minute change, King was tapped to fill the opening slot on Friday afternoon, after singer Nate Smith had to withdraw for health reasons.
For King, the opportunity is the culmination of years of relentless hard work. The exciting news came as a surprise on Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the official announcement was made.
"Oh man, I think I jumped around in my living room for about 10 minutes straight," King shared in an interview with Discover Weyburn. "Then I called all my band members and my team and everybody and my family, and yeah, everybody's just so, so pumped up. I haven't stopped smiling for the last couple of days."
This moment feels like a significant milestone for the local musician, who has spent the last three years playing nearly 100 shows a year with his band, performing in bars across Western Canada.
"It feels like a lot of hard work paying off," King reflected. "To get recognized at this sort of scale, for Country Thunder to think that I'm ready for this, is such an honour. We're getting on that stage knowing that we are fully prepared and ready for this. It's a moment we've all been waiting for."
King will be sharing the stage with country music heavyweights like Tim Hicks and Jason Aldean, an experience he is eagerly anticipating.
"We got to play on the same night and same stage as Tim Hicks at Boots and Hearts a couple of years ago and that was such a moment... they put on one of the best shows I've seen," he said. "The whole band is pretty pumped to watch the Aldean show."
Ironically, despite growing up in Weyburn, this will be King's first time attending the legendary festival.
"I made a promise with myself that I was not going to go to Craven until they asked me to come and play," he admitted. "So, this year is the first year I'm getting to experience Craven as a whole."
In addition to opening the main stage on Friday, King and his band are also slated to perform at the Thursday night Kick-Off Party alongside The Hunter Brothers, giving festival-goers two chances to see them.
"It's a big honour to be the first act of the main stage, and you really set the tone for the whole festival, so we're excited to do that," King stated. "It's going to be high energy. I can't wait to see everybody out there."