Seventeen-year-old Cassidy Glecoff has had a hard time keeping up with surprises this year.

Just a month ago, she found out that her mother, Denise, had entered her into a major singing competition in May called “She’s The One.”

 

Organizers called Glecoff saying she had made it to the finals in Ottawa.

“I was a little upset at first. I told my mom, ‘you gotta tell me about these things.’ But it worked out,” she laughed.

 

The competition is part of the annual RBC Bluesfest, and is focused on emerging Canadian female singers aged 13-21. 

 

Then on July 15, Glecoff and her father Jason travelled to the Canadian capital, where Glecoff and her guitar won over judges during the finals.

 

It led to her earning valuable studio time and a record deal with Cadence Music Group, an independent music company based in Toronto.

 

“I was completely unprepared for that,” Glecoff told The Highlander about ousting eight other finalists, some of whom brought an entire band to perform with them.

 

Jason praised his daughter’s dedication and talent.

 

“All she brought with her on stage was her own guitar,” he said.

 

Denise recalled the moment she entered Glecoff into the competition a few days before the deadline in May.

 

“She had entered the competition a few years ago but she didn’t get in,” she said. “Then a few years had gone by, and I realized the deadline was coming up. Cassidy is always so busy, and she wasn’t home at the time, and I just thought, ‘I’ll just enter her last minute’.”

 

A few weeks later, Denise was sitting on her deck when Glecoff came running out to tell her someone had called about the finals in Ottawa.

 

“While she was on the phone, she just pretended she knew what was going on,” Denise laughed.

The next several months are going to be very busy for Glecoff.

 

In addition to working with industry songwriters and producers to write her potential hit song, Glecoff will be coached through an all-expenses paid recording and production of this single.

 

She’s also going to work closely with musicians closer to home, such as Richard Joudrey of Bancroft and Albert Saxby of Highlands East, both of whom have worked with Glecoff in the past.

 

In September, she will be attending the Metalworks Institute in Mississauga. The school, according to its mission statement, provides its students with “education in the areas of music performance, audio recording, live production and the business of entertainment.” 

 

Denise says Cadence Music Group has agreed to work around her schedule.

 

“We’re going to go day-by-day,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be chaotic, but this [record deal] is a huge stepping stone for her.”

 

She also pointed to her son, Colin, who will start playing Triple-A hockey this August in Lindsay. It’s going to involve a lot of driving around, says Denise, but family and friends have already stepped up to help.