From touring with Shania Twain to hosting Canada’s Got Talent: Q&A with Alberta country artist Lindsay Ell

It’s been an exciting year for Alberta country artist Lindsay Ell.

The Calgary-born singer is the host of Canada’s Got Talent, for which she was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award alongside the show’s judges.

And she recently released her highly anticipated song “Sweet Spot.”

Ell was back home in Alberta where she headlined for Canadian country music giant Shania Twain in Edmonton Friday and Saturday.

She’s opening for Twain again in Calgary at the Saddeldome Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ell took time from that busy schedule to sit down with CityNews’ Laura Krause.

How does it feel being back in Alberta, headlining for Shania Twain?

“It feels so incredible to be home, and performing with Shania. I mean, sharing the stage with her has been something I didn’t even fathom when I was little, I didn’t even know this was possible. So being able to kick off the ‘Queen of Me Tour’ with her has truly, truly, truly been something that feels so surreal.”

You looked up to Shania as a young girl, how does it feel being on tour with her?

“I remember getting that first call and I was like ‘are you serious? Is this a joke?’ It’s even hard to believe. I’ve just looked up to her for so long and I remember being a little girl wanting to be Shania. I don’t know if I would be where I am today without Shania, she was just such an inspiration to me when I was little, and still is to this today, and it’s so inspiring to be on tour with her to this level, in the fourth decade of her career. She’s still crushing the game, she looks incredible, its the best kind of inspiration to have.”

You looked up to Shania as a young girl, and there might be young aspiring artists out there looking up to you now. Do you have a message to any young artists who might want to be in your shoes one day?

“If I could talk to any young artist out there, I would say the most important thing you can do is be yourself. And always listen to that voice inside of you that is saying ‘Well, I like this, I like music that sounds like this, or I want to wear these things.’ Listen to that voice. Because that’s what makes you you, and the world needs you as you are.”

WATCH: Lindsay Ell on Shania Twain’s influence

You are the host on Canada’s Got Talent, talk to me about that experience.

“It’s been so thrilling being a part of CGT. I’ve always thought Canada needed its own show that is within our own borders. We have so much talent in this country, and the fact that a lot of our talent has felt like they need to go elsewhere to find a spotlight, is just something that I don’t think Canadians should ever have to feel, so that fact that we have a show in our own country that really highlights how incredible Canadians are, whether you’re a musician, a singer, an acrobat, a dancer, a magician, CGT has a stage for you, and it’s been such a dream come true.”

As the host, were you able to provide guidance to the performers before they went onto stage?

“I’m the last one acts talk to before they go out on stage, so I’m always there to help calm their nerves down, or give them some pointers, or do their warmups with them, or just let them breathe, thankfully I know what those pre-show jitters feel like, or that adrenaline rush feels like, so I’m hoping I can give them the right thing they need in that moment to make them have the best performance they can.”

Along with the judges, you were given an opportunity to hit the golden buzzer. What were you looking for in a performance on the show, and talk about that golden buzzer moment.

“I love the fact that the show gave me my own golden buzzer. There are just some acts that you feel in your heartstrings that they deserve that shot to go straight through to the semi-finals. So my golden buzzer this season was this woman, her name is Anica. She’s from New Brunswick, she has such an incredible story. She had a rough childhood, growing up she went through eight or nine foster homes, and suffered from a lot of domestic abuse, and she just had the story of always overcoming everything.

“Her audition, she sang ‘Unstoppable’ and it was such a powerful moment. She just walks out on stage with frizzy hair and she’s such a rocker, and she’s just so inspiring. So those are the acts that really get me for the golden buzzer. People who have a story, who are so solid on moving through things, and overcoming anything they go through, and just being themselves.”

WATCH: Lindsay Ell’s Golden Buzzer moment on Canada’s Got Talent

You recently released a new single, what is “Sweet Spot” about?

“I wrote Sweet Spot as a reminder to myself and anyone listening to it that you can find the sweet spot in your life regardless or where you are, and regardless of what you are going through. We all know what it feels like to go through the highs and lows of life, but I feel there is a magical space in the middle where I feel if you approach your life with the right amount of gratitude and appreciation and perspective, you can be really grateful, and find the sweet spot in your life.”

LISTEN: Lindsay Ell’s “Sweet Spot”

Between touring with Shania, and hosting Canada’s Got Talent, and releasing your new single, you have a lot going on right now. Do you think you’re in a “sweet spot?”

“I do, I think it’s all about how you look at something. Sometimes, when everything is going on, it’s also one of the most chaotic times, and it’s been a pretty chaotic last year in all of the good ways and all of the challenging ways, but I really do think I’m in the sweet spot in my life.”