P.E.I. musician needed 'a shove,' so she went for a drive

Maureen Trainor says music was always in her home as a kid growing up in Charlottetown. Her older brothers played guitar and her sister sang and played piano, so it was a natural progression for her to do the same.

Maureen Trainor is 1 of 11 Islanders entered in CBC Music's Searchlight competition

Shane Ross CBC News Posted: Feb 25, 2017 11:18 AM EST | Last Updated: February 25, 2017

Maureen Trainor recorded the video for her song Goodbye while driving in her car between Dalvay and Cavendish, P.E.I. (Maureen Trainor)

Maureen Trainor says music was always in her home as a kid growing up in Charlottetown. Her older brothers played guitar and her sister sang and played piano.

"It was kind of a natural progression for me to do the same thing," she said on CBC's Mainstreet P.E.I. "It was something that was just always present and always meant a lot to me."

But it wasn't until recently, after years of "sitting in my living room and playing songs for my dog," that Trainor decided to take the next step.

CBC Searchlight: 11 Islanders enter national music contest

"I was kind of letting things slide a bit and I thought if you are passionate about this and you want to make something happen, you're going to have to give yourself a shove."

Trainor decided to enter in CBC Radio's annualSearchlight competition, a cross-Canada search for the best up-and-coming musicians. Voting is now underway as musicians from 24 geographic regions compete for a grand prize worth $50,000.

Trainor is one of 11 Islanders in the running.

Song about a breakup

She entered her song Goodbye. It's about a breakup, she said, and she knew exactly how to make the video.

I have a lot of co-workers who are approaching me on a daily basis saying they didn't even know that I sang.- Maureen Trainor

"I thought, 'Well, if if I'm thinking about something or if I have a lot on my mind, what do I do?' And I go for a drive, that's just what I do. So I thought that's probably the best way to make the video."

But then she had to find a road with no potholes so her camera would stay still.

"At this time of year that's a little tricky," she said.

Maureen Trainor dropped by the Mainstreet P.E.I. studio to talk about her entry in CBC Music's Searchlight competition. (Angela Walker/CBC)

Luckily, she remembered the North Shore Parkway had been recently paved, so she hopped in her car and made a few trips between Cavendish and Dalvay, singing to herself along the way.

"It was a DIY job very early on a Sunday morning," she said.