by Thinus Ferreira
The South African singer Michaela Kleinsmith from Cape Town is the winner of the first season of Apple TV+'s new global music competition series My Kind of Country, who will now get a life-changing experience from Apple in the form of global exposure for her music across Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
Michaela Kleinsmith who grew up watching singing competition shows and dreamed of being on stage, taught herself about vocal attack and range and landed a spot in M-Net's Idols on Mzansi Magic in 2016 when she made it to the group rounds during season 12.
Bullied heavily as a child, music became Micaela's escape and her coping mechanism, and when she discovered that she could sing and that people were taking notice, Micaela began using her newfound talent as a way to make friends.
She started writing songs at the age of 14 and continued to rise as an artist. Now she's won the global competition from Reese Witherspoon which was executive produced by the multi-Grammy Award-winning star, Kacey
Musgraves.
My Kind of Country broke down barriers in country music by providing an extraordinary opportunity to diverse artists from around the world to be given a platform to be heard.
Scouts Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and Orville Peck each hand-picked a roster of talented and diverse artists and invited them to the home of country music in Nashville, Tennessee, to showcase their unique sound and compete for the winning prize.
Michaela, originally championed by Orville Peck, won over the scouts' hearts with her incredible vocals and visible growth as an artist throughout her journey on My Kind of Country.
In the final two episodes of the first season which premiered on Friday on Apple TV+, Kleinsmith sings both an original song "Stupid Love", as well as a
unique cover of The Band Perry's "If I Die Young".
Michaela's EP Butterfly has now been released through Platoon on Apple Music on Friday,
and includes her three original songs, Butterfly, Eternity and Raise A
Cup, which she had the opportunity to record with renowned music producer Tommy
Sims. She is also releasing a rendition of her cover of The Band Perry's If I
Die Young and all are streaming now on Apple Music.
"I am so honoured and excited to have been selected as the winner of My Kind
of Country," says Kleinsmith.
"This competition has been such a blessing and I'm just so grateful
to have been able to learn from so many other talented artists on a global
platform like Apple TV+. My Kind of Country gave me an opportunity that
wouldn't normally have been available to me in the industry, and highlights the
need for country music to open its doors to new talent and new ideas".
"I can't wait for fans to check out my new EP Butterfly on Apple Music."
Orville Peck says "We were all moved by Micaela's final performances and to be able to witness
her growth throughout the competition has made me so proud of my fellow South African!"
"Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and I all believe she is ready to be our next
country music star. We're so thrilled to announce
her as the winner of My Kind of Country and have the world listen to her new
EP Butterfly on Apple Music."
Mentor and music director and producer Adam Blackstone who helped all of the artists, says "I am so excited that Micaela is the winner of My Kind of Country. She really grew into her own artistry and found her voice throughout the competition. It
was a dream to work with her and I can't wait to see what we will do next to
take the country music world by storm."