Rising Music Star Scotty Berg of ‘It Ain’t Over’ on The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

People will not like you. Social media can be pretty brutal as people hide behind a screen and feel like they can say anything they want. I have received lots of negative comments, but you just have to roll with it.

As a part of our series about rising music stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Scotty Berg, a 14-year old singer-songwriter from Kelowna, Canada. He has performed in front of thousands at various venues throughout the city and region.

The talented teenager has won numerous singing contests and was recently nominated for the City of Kelowna Civic Award for Teen Honour in the Arts, recognizing his charitable donations to organizations by raising money through his performances.

Scotty is releasing his original song “It Ain’t Over” April 21st on all streaming platforms. The song is about hope and helping one another during difficult times.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Thank you for having me! I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and when I was four my family moved to Kelowna, British Columbia. I grew up kind of like any typical kid. I played and still play a lot of sports. I was on a development soccer team and played ice hockey. Now I play basketball and run track. Our family skis a lot in the winter and in the summer, we have a boat and spend time on the lake. I think I have been pretty lucky as I have traveled to a lot of places already, like New Zealand and Mexico. But I’m only 14 so I’m still growing up lol.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I think I have always been singing or humming and people would always tell my parents to put me in singing lessons. One of my first voice teachers had me sing Adele’s “Hello” as loud as I could in a lesson, and other teachers and people came out of their rooms wondering what was happening. But that voice teacher saw something in me and wanted me to let loose lol. I guess that was the start!

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

When I was 11, there was a charity fundraiser event and I opened for the headliner who was Canadian country singer Aaron Pritchett, which was amazing. In the crowd was the cousin of social influencer Jillian Harris, who was on the Bachelorette. She sent a message to Jillian telling her about me. Jillian went on her social media account and gave me a massive shout-out to her 1 million followers. She still follows and supports me on Instagram!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Ahhhhh! I was invited to sing our national anthem at a semi-professional men’s soccer game. My whole soccer team was there and probably about 1000 fans. I didn’t rehearse and in the middle of the song I totally forgot the lyrics. I mumbled through and then ran off the field totally devastated. I learned from that to always be prepared!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I just released my song “It Ain’t Over” on April 21st! Super excited about that as I have received a lot of positive feedback about the song. I am also super excited to be joining Circle11 Entertainment. They have some exciting things lined up for me and I am looking forward to working with them.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music industry? How can that potentially affect our culture?

1. Diversity brings different perspectives about a topic or issue.

2. There is so much talent within different cultures it needs to be shared!

3. I also think it brings a level of celebration and respect for each other and for different cultures.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Don’t be afraid to try. I don’t know a lot of 14-year-old boys who sing and so just try something that you really want to do and not worry what others think.

2. Be yourself! My voice teacher once told me, there is only one Justin Bieber…just like there is only one Scotty Berg…be Scotty Berg!

3. Practice, practice, practice. Just like sports you need to warm-up. My voice needs to warm-up and I am constantly practicing to improve. Also, see the story above about messing up the national anthem! That’s why I need to practice lol.

4. People will not like you. Social media can be pretty brutal as people hide behind a screen and feel like they can say anything they want. I have received lots of negative comments, but you just have to roll with it.

5. Stay the course. I have had people tell me to sing a certain way, or sing certain songs, and to do this or do that. If it’s not comfortable, don’t do it!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

HAVE FUN! Why do this if it’s not fun? I want to sing for a long time so enjoying it is so important. And try and avoid the negative stuff. People will always say things about you. Just be yourself.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Wow thank you! I would say accept people for who they are. Everyone has a unique talent, gift or idea that should recognized and appreciated!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My mom and dad. I don’t think there is just one story…almost everything I have done and achieved is because of them.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My first music teacher (the one who made me sing Hello by Adele) always told me to “stay humble.” I get quite a bit of positive feedback on social media, or when I perform live. It is awesome and I know that it can go to my head, so I just try and remember those words.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.

:-)

Has to be fellow Canadian Shawn Mendes! Justin Bieber would be pretty awesome too.

How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram- @scotty_berg

TikTok- @scotty_berg2

Facebook- Scotty Berg

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

Thank you so much for having me!