Local Country Music Star Celebrates Upcoming Tour
Story by Michael Seguin
Photography by CYNX Media
Contrary to popular belief: most of us were not—in fact—born ready.
And then there’s Carson Janik.
“I came out of the womb singing country music,” Carson laughs.
And when considering his remarkable output, Carson may be onto something. Hailing from the small town of Tecumseh, he has already made a name for himself in the Canadian country music scene. Having drawn comparisons to Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Corey Kent and Riley Green, he has released two singles which have already reached nationwide status on the radio and accumulated millions of streams online.
Last year, Carson released his debut album: Neon to Lean On. He is currently hard at work on his second album.
And Carson perhaps comes by his talents honestly. He hails from a musical family—where songwriting and performances were not just welcomed, but encouraged.
“Whenever we went to family gatherings, almost everyone was singing or clutching an instrument,” Carson recalls. “My Dad is a drummer. And my Uncle Richard is a touring musician. They were both big influences on me.”
Carson showed signs of talent early on. Years ago, he was a top 14 finalist in the Unsigned Only International Music Competition.
“I was a finalist for that contest,” Carson states. “Which led to me being discovered by 49th Entertainment—a record company. Together, we released my first album—Neon to Lean On.”
The process of creating that first album was a collaborative one. Carson worked in tandem with his producers, narrowing all his ideas down into his six finest songs. From there, they sharpened the sounds—fine-tuning them to their most profound ideas.
“The whole creation of that album was incredible,” Carson explains. “With songwriting, I like to calibrate the sound first—that way I’m not making a confused sad-happy song with the words all mixed up. I always figure out the strum patterns and the chords first—then I visit the melodies.”
Carson’s muse visits him at all hours—sometimes early in the day, sometimes in the dead of night.
“Sometimes a friend will say something and that word or that phrase he used will jar a song idea loose inside of me,” Carson explains. “Other times the music even comes to me in my sleep. I’ll wake up and immediately pull up the voice note on my phone!”
Neon to Lean On was released last April. It made something of a splash online, accumulating over a million streams.
“It’s crazy to think about how many people my music has reached,” Carson admits. “I’m just some kid from Tecumseh. The fact that this digital frontier has allowed me to reach so many different ears is so humbling.”
And while Carson is proud of all of his work, he maintains a special fondness for one track in particular: “Easy for You to Say.”
“It’s my absolute favourite,” Carson states. “It was done by Josh Kerr, Troy Vergas and Steven Lee Olsen. And I’m a huge Steven Lee Olsen guy! When I saw that he was on the song I knew that I had to cut this. It was so far up my alley. It’s one of those sad songs that still has that pop-country flavor. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Mariannas Trench—but that’s the vibe I was picking up from initially hearing this song.”
Despite his best efforts, Carson’s unique sound is something that’s difficult to put into words. There’s a distinct tempo—a rhythm—that crackles through his songs. An energy that causes you to sit up straighter and bob your head to the beat. But in contrast, there is also often a looming sadness that hangs over his music—with subjects ranging from heartbreak to loneliness. Regardless of Carson’s youth—these are themes that listeners of any age can relate to.
And now, Carson is currently doing what he does best—churning out new song ideas.
He also has a tour planned for this summer.
“I’ll be on the road all summer!” Carson explains. “I’ll be promoting the last album and some upcoming songs. This will actually be my first time touring out of province. We’ll be heading to Saskatchewan, then through Manitoba, then all the way back out east to New Brunswick. We’re renting an RV and everything! It’s going to be an adventure.”
Carson has already experienced his share of live performing over the years. Sometimes, he’s even shared the stage with some recognizable performers.
“On July 5th last year—at the Essex Fun Festival—I opened up for Redferrin,” Carson recalls. “He’s another one of my main musical influences. Being able to share the stage with him was incredible. I had to keep pinching myself afterwards. I kept thinking: ‘Did that really just happen? Did I really just share the stage with that guy?’”
And when asked what keeps him anchored during his trek across these turbulent seas, Carson smiles.
“My family are my biggest supporters,” Carson states. “Heck, my Dad is driving the tour bus. It’s just one of those things—they’re with me all the way.”
And for those musicians looking to reach the same heights as Carson, his advice is perhaps characteristically simple for a man who—as said earlier—came out of the womb spouting country music:
“Just keep slugging,” Carson stresses. “It’s a grind. But true passion and hard work always wins out. If you love it that much, then you will prevail. If you keep trying and never take no for an answer, you’ll reach where you want to be. Just keep grinding.”
As said before, Carson has a variety of tour dates coming up this summer, including August 28th at the Harrow Fair in Harrow, Ontario.
More information on Carson—including more tour dates—is available at carsonjanik.com.
Published in the May/June 2025 Edition.
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