There are two sides to Amanda Stott.
On the one hand, the 17-year-old Manitoba native spends most of her time working toward her high school diploma and attending to daily chores on her parents' southern Manitoba cattle and grain farm.
Her 'other identity' -- that of burgeoning country music singer -- gets revealed in music stores today in the form of a debut CD, Amanda Stott.
'VERY SUPPORTIVE'
"I've been trying to keep a lot quiet," Stott says during a promotional stop for her new disc. "Only my closest friends know that I signed a deal with Warner Music. And they've been very supportive of me and my music career. I knew they would understand."
Stott's secret life, however, has been revealed on a couple of notable occasions.
Last fall, 80,000 strong witnessed the petite blue-eyed blonde's appearance at Pan Am Games celebrations in Winnipeg. And in January, Stott shared a star-studded stage with 'Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins, Gordon Lightfoot, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman at the Canadian Family Farm Tribute concert in Toronto.
"It was a great honour to be asked," says Stott, who opened that day-long concert with a boisterous version of O Canada. "That was sort of my bit to help bring the country together and make people aware that we're surrounded by burdens on the farm."
MATURE VOCAL STYLE
Stott's mature vocal style arose during her formative years singing at her community church and accompanying her family's band. Many festivals and fairs later, Stott turned heads when the teen sang at the 1996 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards ceremony here in Ottawa.
Since then, she's performed on Tom Jackson's Huron Carole tour and at showcase stages during the 1996 and '99 Canadian Country Music Awards.
The fame she's beginning to acclaim, says Stott, can be a bit "overwhelming. All this attention was a bit of a shock at first."
Stott credits her parents for instilling strong values and supporting her desire to sing.
"I'm doing something in my life I've always loved to do," Stott says. "I remember spending Saturday mornings glued to the radio, listening to to Reba McIntyre, Garth Brooks and Vince Gill as they counted down the top Canadian country hits.
"I didn't think I'd ever be on there, then one day ..."
Stott's first single, Black is Black, is already being aired on country radio stations across Canada, while CMT has upped its rotation for the accompanying video. The remainder of her 12-track album contains songs penned by the likes of Lisa Brokop, Jason McCoy and Steve Wilkinson.
"Anyone can relate to these songs," Stott says. "There was no sense in me singing about a deep love or something I hadn't experienced yet. So some of them reflect a kind of puppy love."
