Kissel signs with Verge

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 – Canadian star Brett Kissel has signed a record deal with Verge Records, a few days after winning four Canadian Country Music Association awards.

Headquartered in Nashville, Verge is the sister company and record label arm of global distribution and label services ONErpm, with offices in 14 countries. A portion of proceeds from Verge musical royalties are donated each year to support charitable musical causes.

Trace Adkins is on the Verge roster as well.

Kissel posted on his Twitter feed: "HOW 'BOUT THIS FOR A "FULL CIRCLE" STORY — As a kid, at my first @CCMAofficial awards, I met the man who, 8 yrs later, would become my manager. The man who, 9 yrs later, would become my agent. And the team that would, 13 yrs later, become my record label."

Verge President and COO of Verge Records Mickey Jack Cones, said, "Kissel is a smooth singer, gifted writer and an incredible entertainer. He has proven that he can build a strong fanbase in Canada and the United States, and we can't wait to work with him!."

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the team at Verge and ONErpm. After performing over the past few years with my heroes Brad Paisley and Garth Brooks - and cutting my teeth on songs penned by Nashville royalty - I'm ready to jump into the American market and bring my music stateside," Kissel said.

Kissel grew up on a cattle ranch in northeastern Alberta, Canada that has been in his family for more than a century. In 1997, when he was seven years old, his grandmother bought him a $69 guitar for Christmas from the Sears Roebuck catalog because she saw "music in him."

In between his ranch chores, he learned to play on that guitar by listening to legendary country artists like Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard, though he didn't know at the time that they were considered "traditional."

Kissel released his first album at the age of 12. In 2003, Kissel wrote a letter to his idol Johnny Cash offering condolences after the passing of June Carter. On Sept. 12, 2003, the day of Kissel's first album release, and also the day of Cash's passing, Kissel received a letter back from The Man in Black, with a signed 8x10 photo that read: "To Brett, Jesus First, Johnny Cash."

"It's my most prized possession," Kissel said. "And ever since I was young, I feel as though in many ways, Johnny Cash has helped guide me through life and music."

As a teenager, Kissel started making regular trips to Nashville while continuing to tour above the border.

By 2013, Kissel had inked a record deal with Warner Music Canada and went on to release four albums, earning numerous Canadian Country Music Association awards (CCMA) and JUNO awards along the way, a trend that continued at the CCMA's Sunday night, when Kissel won four more awards, including his third win for the Fans' Choice Award, as well as wins for Album of the Year ("Now or Never") and Male Artist of the Year.

In September 2019, Kissel released his first American country radio single, "Drink About Me," off "Now or Never," which caught the ear of Cones and Verge Records.

"I've dreamt of this moment for a long time," he said. "Even though 2020 has brought so much challenge and uncertainty, my music continues to be about positivity, family, and tradition. I'm so pleased to share these themes in my music with American country fans, especially at this moment in time."