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Jaydee Bixby to release debut country album
Updated Fri. Jun. 6 2008 3:37 PM ET

Sheri Block, CTV.ca

Almost one year after being named runner-up on Canadian Idol, Jaydee Bixby is set to release his debut album.

"Cowboys and Cadillacs" will hit stores on July 8th and if you didn't know better, you'd swear it was being sung by a seasoned country music veteran, not a 17-year-old who isn't even old enough to get into the places he's been playing at.

But Bixby is no stranger to performing - not only did he have one heck of a run on Idol last summer - he has been singing live with his family's band since he's been 11-years-old.

"If I'm able to entertain a bunch of people who have been drinking all night it's a little easier than being on Canadian Idol," said Bixby, who recently made a stop in Toronto to promote his new album.

"I got to go (to the bars) when I was 11 and I got to have people hang off me and say, 'You're an amazing singer,' and (I could smell) everything they've been drinking or chewing or smoking or just everything on their breath, and my eyes are starting to water and I'm just like, 'Thanks very much.' I definitely learned a lot in those first few years playing with my parents in a band."

"Cowboys and Cadillacs" was recorded in Vancouver, BC and Bixby, an Alberta native, did an album true to his country roots. The title track alludes to the whirlwind ride he's enjoyed since Idol's season finale last fall.

"That's talking about before Idol, going onto Idol, after Idol, going to Vancouver and Toronto and stuff," said Bixby. "I was always a small town boy and it was just talking about a simple ease of living in the country and stuff. I had a horse when I was young and was just trying to put the saddle on and stuff and then you're working in the city but the country's still your home and life hasn't just been the same without 'Cowboys and Cadillacs.'"

The first single, "Old Fashioned Girl," talks about his love for girls with more conservative values.

"You know how you watch the rap videos and all the MuchMusic videos and they have girls dancing around half-naked and younger kids see that and they think 'well that's what I've got to do to be cool and be like the people on TV' (but) there's nothing more attractive than a girl who dresses down and doesn't let (everything) hang all out when she's going out, a genuine old-fashioned girl who likes her hair up in ponytails or something.

"I always heard if you can find a woman like your mother, you're good."

Bixby has co-writing credits on two of the tracks and is happy he was afforded the time to make the kind of record he wanted.

"I really wanted the album to represent me. When you do a really fast job on it, people will notice. If you take time to work on it and nurture it ... I wouldn't have let it go out unless I felt like this is how I want people to see me, this is how I want my career to start."

Bixby also recently shot his first video on a farm near Delta, BC.

"It was a new experience for me to be up on a hill, singing along to my song. I felt kind of silly because usually I'm performing with a guitar or something. I was standing on a hill and I didn't know what to do with my hands. All I could think of was Nelly Furtado in her video spinning around in circles and I was thinking, 'Oh, I hope I don't look like that,'" said Bixby with a laugh. "She's Nelly Furtado, (but could you see) George Jones or Johnny Cash spinning around in a circle?"

Bixby has got a busy summer ahead of touring and promoting his new record and hopes this is just the beginning of a 60-year-long career in the music industry.

"Canadian Idol was amazing. It got me to where I am today. (But instead of) 'Jaydee from Canadian Idol,' I want to be known for 'Jaydee that has that song on the radio.'"

JAYDEEOWNAGE!

BTW, don't forget there is an episode tomorrow! (MONDAY)

The cities are Vancouver (Chelsea), Montreal (Fetus), and Winnipeg (Cher)

We all know you have none of those.