Northern Colorado native and soon-to-be graduate of Belmont University’s School of Music Caitlyn Ochsner was recognized as the 2020 New Artist of the Year at the Rocky Mountain Country Music Awards. The award was presented during a virtual award show on Facebook hosted by Northern Colorado radio personality Shawn Patrick from Big Country 97.9.
Founded in 2016, the Rocky Mountain Country Music Awards (RMCMA’s) were originally designed to showcase the best country music talent in Colorado and Wyoming.
The New Artist of the Year Award is given to the country artist, band or duo who has for the first time demonstrated the most significant creative growth and development within the following categories: music released, live performance, professionalism and/or media recognition related to the launch of their career.
Over the past four years, RMCMA has grown to include the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Utah and New Mexico. In order to be nominated for an award, an artist or band has to have spent a significant amount of time performing in one or more of the nine states within the region.
This is the second nomination Ochsner has received from the RMCMA’s but her first award. “I’ve won a few buckles over the years showing cattle, but absolutely none as beautiful as this,” she said. “It took me moving away from home four years ago to fully appreciate everything I love about the west.”
Like other artists, Ochsner was disappointed that the awards show, originally scheduled for March 13 at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley, had to be cancelled but said, “The coronavirus may have cancelled this awards show, but I promise you it can’t silence country music!”
2019 was a big year for Ochsner, a ranch-raised girl from Kersey, Colorado. In addition to live performances at the National Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA trade show in New Orleans, the Greeley Stampede and the Nebraska State Fair, Ochsner released her first EP last June. The EP’s title track “Home” pays tribute to her deep roots in Northern Colorado and her genuine love and appreciation for the people, places and experiences that have molded her and her music. With more than 85,000 streams on Spotify, this EP has caught the attention of both her Nashville peers and her Rocky Mountain fan-base. Ochsner has plans to release her next single this fall entitled “Look Out Lubbock.”
For more information on the Rocky Mountain Music Association contact Shawn Patrick at Shawnpatrick@iHeartMedia.com. For more information on Caitlyn Ochsner, visit Caitlyn Ochsner Music on social media, or visit her website at CaitlynOchsnerMusic.com.
