Raquel Cole (born March 22, 1993) is a Canadian

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer and songwriter. She is signed to Sakamoto Music. As an independent artist, she released two extended plays, ''Personal Truth'' and ''The Essence of Me''. Outside of her solo career, she is also part of the

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

-based

independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

trio The Woods.

Early life

Cole grew up in

Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped establish the Coldstream Ranch in nearby ...

and began playing the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

when she was nine years old. Her parents purchased her the guitar as her father was a drummer and wanted someone to play music with. Her father arranged for her to have her first experience in a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

at ten years old as he wanted her to have an understanding of the recording process. At twelve years old, she won the "Best New Artist of the Year" at the B.C. Interior Music Awards. Cole credits the music scene in Vernon for inspiring her to be a songwriter and guitar player. She initially was more interested in the soft pop genre of music and was a large fan of

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

growing up, but later became more interested in

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

as she began to write songs, citing Keith Urban and Lady A as artists she listened to.

Career

In 2014, Cole was named one of SiriusXM's "Fresh Female Voices" on ''

The Highway A highway is a long road giving a relatively fast connection between two places. Highway may also refer to: Roads in England * The Highway (London) (previously Ratcliff Highway), a road in the East End of London * The Highway, a road in Br ...

''. She opened on nine tour dates that fall for

Diamond Rio Diamond Rio is an American country music band. The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was foun ...

in the southern United States. In 2015, she was named the Discovery Artist by the

Canadian Country Music Association The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3rd, 1973 when a g ...

. She released her debut extended play ''Personal Truth'' in 2018, having recorded the songs in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. Her song "Imogene" finished in second place of the Unsigned Only category of the

International Songwriting Competition The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), founded in 2002, is an annual songwriting contest for both amateur and professional songwriters. There is no physical event to attend as the competition is held online, and anyone in the world can en ...

. She released a three-song extended play ''The Essence of Me'' in August 2020, after recording this project in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. She received a nomination for "Female Artist of the Year" at the 2020 British Columbia Country Music Awards. In 2021, Cole was a finalist at the SiriusXM Top of the Country competition. She released her first country radio single "Think About You" in July 2021. The song would enter the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Canada Country chart and peak at number 44. In March 2022, she featured on fellow Canadian country singer Don Amero's single "Let You", which reached the top 30 at Canadian country radio. In October 2022, Cole signed a record deal with Sakamoto Music and released her second country radio single, "Hate That I Need You". Later that month, she opened for

The Washboard Union The Washboard Union is a Canadian country music group from Vancouver, British Columbia led by principal members David Roberts, Aaron Grain (aka Brett Ellis) and Chris Duncombe. Biography Aaron Grain and Chris Duncombe met in Kelowna, British Col ...

on several of their tour dates in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. In July 2023, Cole released the song "All to Yourself".

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

Guest singles

Music videos

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Raquel Living people Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian women singer-songwriters Musicians from British Columbia People from Vernon, British Columbia 21st-century Canadian women singers 1993 births 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters