Paul Rennée Belobersycky (born July 21, 1972), known professionally as Paul Brandt, is a Canadian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist. Growing up in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, he was a pediatric RN at the time of his big break. In 1996, he made his mark on the country music charts with the single "

My Heart Has a History My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Market ...

", propelling him to international success and making him the first male Canadian country singer to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in the United States since

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on t ...

in 1974.

Early life

Brandt was born in

, Alberta and grew up in

Airdrie, Alberta Airdrie ( ) is a city in Alberta, Canada within the Calgary Region. It is located north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor at the intersection of Queen Elizabeth II Highway (Highway 2) and Highway 567. The City of Airdrie i ...

. The first time Brandt sang in front of an audience was when he sang "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

" at his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. He attended Crescent Heights High School from 1987-1990. He also graduated from Mount Royal University with a major in nursing during 1992.

Career

Brandt's demo was one of many sent by A&Rs at the Warner Canada office to their colleagues at Warner Nashville with a purpose of finding a new project that the two branches could work on together. Nashville A&R Paige Levy singled out Brandt's recordings, later mentioning to

HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...

about his great potential as a

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. As a result, the artist started travelling down to Nashville to undergo development. He was matched up with various experienced songwriters whom he could relate to, work well with and who would help him to refine his writing skills. This collaborations resulted in a large part of the material for Brandt's debut album '' Calm Before the Storm''. Brandt's first single, "

," was a number 1 hit in Canada, as was his debut album, "Calm Before The Storm". He followed up with the three hits "

I Do I Do may refer to: * "I do", a phrase used in some marriage vows; used by brides and grooms in response to questions posed by either the officiant or the other marriage partner Film and TV Film * ''I Do'' (1921 film), a silent comedic short f ...

" (which he wrote for his friend's wedding), " I Meant to Do That" and " Take It from Me." ''Calm Before the Storm'' was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1997. Brandt's second album, '' Outside the Frame'', did not repeat the same success as ''Calm Before the Storm'' did. The album did have some hit singles, most notably " A Little in Love" and "What's Come Over You." Determined to put his stamp in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, Brandt recorded his third album, '' That's the Truth'', in 1999. It was not received as warmly as the previous two, but the songs " That's the Truth" and "The Sycamore Tree" became popular. After three albums, he released the Canada only greatest hits compilation, '' What I Want to Be Remembered For'', in 2000. After the greatest hits album, Brandt left

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me s ...

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

and started his own label, ''Brand-T Records''. To date, every album that Brandt has released on Brand-T Records has garnered an Album of the Year award (Small Towns & Big Dreams (2002 CCMA's), This Time Around (2005 CCMA's), Risk (2008 Juno), and A Gift ( GMA - Seasonal Recording of the Year). As an unsigned artist, his live acoustic album '' Small Towns and Big Dreams'' went on to win the CCMA Album of the Year. His label's success has continued as the follow-up album '' This Time Around'' went on to win

CCMA CCMA may refer to: * Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias, during the Lluís Companys's government of Catalonia, in the Spanish Revolution *Canadian Country Music Association, the association of the Canadian country music industry * Catholic ...

Album of the Year and a GMA Canada Covenant Award for the song "That's What I Love About Jesus" (2005). ''This Time Around'' went

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

in Canada and also produced the hit songs "Leavin'", featuring

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...

courtesy Capitol Records, and his remake of the trucker classic song "

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

." His last single/video from the album was "Alberta Bound," a tribute to the people and places of that province. Despite the song's name, it is not a remake of the

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

track. In September 2007 Brandt released his album, ''

Risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...

''. On April 6, 2008, he won a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for "Risk" as Country Recording of the Year in his home town . The first single for this project, "

Didn't Even See the Dust "Didn't Even See the Dust" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Paul Brandt. It was released in May 2007 as the first single from his 2007 album ''Risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad hap ...

," was released to country radio in May 2007. The video was filmed in

Barcelona, Spain Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. "Dust" was one of the 20 most played country music songs of 2007 in Canada. Brandt released the album '' Give It Away'' on September 13, 2011. He released his first gospel project called '' Just As I Am'' on October 16, 2012. It features songs which Brandt grew up on and based his life upon. In 2015, Brandt released the single " I'm an Open Road" featuring

Jess Moskaluke Jessica Moskaluke (born June 4, 1990) is a Canadian country singer and songwriter. She released her debut studio album, '' Light Up the Night'' in April 2014, which includes the platinum-certified single "Cheap Wine and Cigarettes". She has one #1 ...

, which became his first single to be certified Gold by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

. In 2018, he announced a two-part extended play series, with '' The Journey YYC, Vol. 1'' being released in April 2018, and ''The Journey BNA, Vol. 2'' following in November 2018.

Personal life

Brandt and his wife, Elizabeth Peterson, were married on February 22, 1997, in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

at the Centre Street Church, and had their first child, a son in 2008. In November 2010, they had a daughter. Brandt received an

Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) is a doctoral degree in fine arts, may be given as an honorary degree (a degree ''honoris causa'') or an earned professional degree (in the UK). Description Doctoral programmes leading to DFAs are of equivalent leve ...

from the

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = ''Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Weasel ...

on Saturday, October 17, 2009. He has also received an Honorary

Doctorate of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

from Briercrest College and Seminary on April 24, 2010. Brandt graduated in 1992 from

Mount Royal University Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History Mount Royal University was founded by Alberta provincial charter by the Arthur Sifton government on December 16, 1910 and officially opened on September 8 ...

with a degree in Nursing and currently serves as the storyteller-in-residence for the institution. In 2019 while on tour in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, he requested for some shelter dogs be brought to his green room before his show. The Lethbridge and District Humane Society provided a group of puppies, one of which he adopted and named “Chief”.

Discography

*'' Calm Before the Storm'' (1996) *'' Outside the Frame'' (1997) *'' This Time Around'' (2004) *'' A Gift'' (2006) *''

'' (2007) *'' Give It Away'' (2011) *'' Just as I Am'' (2012)

Awards

;

Canadian Country Music Awards The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3rd, 1973 when a gr ...

* 1996

SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

Song of the Year: "My Heart Has A History" * 1997 Male Artist Of The Year * 1997

Song of the Year: "I Do" * 1997 Single Of The Year: "I Do" * 1997 Video Of The Year: "I Do" * 1998 Male Artist Of The Year * 1999 Male Artist Of The Year * 2000 Male Artist Of The Year * 2000 Video Of The Year: "That's The Truth" * 2002 Male Artist Of The Year * 2002 Album of the Year: '' Small Towns and Big Dreams'' * 2005 Album of the Year: '' This Time Around'' * 2005 CMT Video of the Year: "

" ;

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

* 2005 Global Artist of the Year ; CMT (United States) * 1996 Top New Male Artist ;

GMA Canada The Gospel Music Association of Canada or GMA Canada (formerly known as the CGMA) is a not for profit association, founded in 1974, whose purpose is to promote Christian music in Canada. History GMA Canada is created in 1974 in Ontario with ...

Covenant Awards The Covenant Awards are awarded to the Canadian gospel music industry by GMA Canada, the Gospel Music Association of Canada. The association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the growth and ministry of Christian music in C ...

* 2005 Country/Bluegrass Song of the Year: "That's What I Love About Jesus" * 2007 Seasonal Album Of The Year: '' A Gift'' * 2007 Seasonal Song of the Year: "A Gift" * 2008 nominee, Artist of the Year * 2008 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year * 2013 Album of the Year: '' Just As I Am'' * 2013 Artist of the Year * 2013 Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year: '' Just As I Am'' * 2013 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year2013 Covenant Award nominees
* 2013 nominee (shared with

High Valley High Valley is a Canadian country music band from Blumenort, Alberta, a small community near the hamlet of La Crete. The group is composed of Brad Rempel (lead vocals) and his supporting band, Dave Myers (bass guitar), Sam Bergeson (vocals), Ray ...

): ''When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder'' ;

Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

* 1997 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year * 1997 Country Male Vocalist of the Year * 1998 Male Vocalist of the Year * 1998 Country Male Vocalist of the Year * 1998 nominee, Best Video: "A Little In Love" (Paul Brandt and Tim Hamilton) * 1999 Best Country Male Vocalist * 2000 nominee, Best Male Artist * 2000 Best Country Male Artist * 2001 Best Country Male Artist * 2002 nominee, Best Country Artist/Group * 2005 nominee, Country Recording Of The Year: ''This Time Around'' * 2008 Country Recording Of The Year: ''Risk'' * 2008 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award ;

Western Canadian Music Awards The ''Western Canadian Music Awards'' (WCMAs) are an annual awards event for music in the western portion of Canada. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of six member music industry organizations from Br ...

* 2008 Outstanding Country Recording: ''Risk'' ;Other Awards * 2011 Alberta Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award * 2011 Canadian Country Album of the Year "Give It Away" by iTunes Rewind * 2013 Awarded HRM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal by Prime Minister Stephen Harper * 2017 Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brandt, Paul 1972 births Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners Living people Musicians from Calgary People from Airdrie, Alberta Canadian Country Music Association Male Artist of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Song of the Year winners Juno Award for Country Album of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Single of the Year winners 21st-century Canadian male singers Canadian Country Music Association Album of the Year winners