Hometown musicians nominated for Rock Artist of the Year award
By Joan Janzen
KINDERSLEY - The Radiant, a rock band composed of many hometown musicians, is thrilled to have been asked to perform at the Saskatchewan Music Awards on March 2, 2025. This is also the second consecutive year the band has been nominated for the Rock Artist of the Year Award.
The Radiant was nominated for the Saskatchewan Music Awards Rock Artist of the Year Award, and will perform at the Awards ceremony in Regina on March 2nd.The band includes four members who grew up together in Kindersley, and an additional member from Saskatoon.
Pictured L-R: Michael Reece, Paul Hillacre, Mikhaila Anderson, Evan Knouse, and Jordan Ahmed. Photo by Mac Ulmer
“Our band is a group of friends that grew up together in Kindersley,” explained Michael Reece from Kindersley. Michael (synth and saxophone), along with Evan Knouse (bass), Paul Hillacre (guitar), and Mikhaila Anderson (lead vocals, guitar), became good friends throughout high school and eventually started playing music together. “Our buddy Jordan Ahmed (drums) from Saskatoon was a perfect fit for our little puzzle later on,” he added.
Their band is a result of a metamorphosis of the old band Soft Cotton, which Mikhaila started in high school. Soft Cotton performed at Kindersley’s first Grilled Cheesapolooza music festival, which many local residents will remember.
“We grouped together and have seen a lot of great success after almost eleven years of writing music together,” Michael said. They will be performing their newest single, “Soft Serve,” at the awards ceremony in Regina. “It was released on February 17. It’s our last single before our full album “Table 3” is released on March 28,” he explained.
The heavy-hitting alternative-rock band writes all their own material. Michael describes their music as a poetic interpretation of the state of the world or reflections of their personal experiences.
The band practices weekly as they share their music across Western Canada, doing tours and attending festivals. Most notably they performed at the Western Canadian Music Awards, last year’s Ness Creek Music Festival, and at Chesterfest Music Festival in Prince Albert.
“The nomination is a great validation of all the efforts we have put into our work,” Michael said. The band is excited about the opportunity to witness Saskatchewan’s amazing talent and network with fellow artists.