Dariann Leigh to perform at Newfest
Karlstad native and country music artist Dariann Leigh (a.k.a. Dariann Wisktrom) is set to perform at Newfest in Newfolden on September 12. Dariann has been the featured artist for Prairie Musicians on PBS, graced the cover of Grand Magazine, earned multiple Midwest CMA Award nominations, and made appearances on Country Rebel and The Boot. (submitted photo)
Karlstad native and country music artist Dariann Leigh will perform at Newfest on September 12 in Newfolden. Prior to this pandemic, Dariann was on the road frequently and doing three to fives shows a week. Now, during this pandemic, this local singer—one who has reached numerous heights already during her career— has had to take a temporary step back. (submitted photo)
Lifelong Karlstad native and country music artist Dariann Leigh (a.k.a. Dariann Wikstrom) was traveling back and forth between Nashville and Karlstad before the pandemic. By coincidence, she actually just returned home to Karlstad right before the pandemic hit and hasn’t returned to Nashville since.
“I’m hoping to move there (to Nashville) soon,” Dariann said, “but with everything going on, it’s kind of been pushed back a little bit.”
Prior to this pandemic, Dariann was on the road frequently and doing three to fives shows a week. Now, during this pandemic, this local singer—one who has reached numerous heights already during her career— has had to take a temporary step back. Still, she has found ways to keep busy and share her talent while at the same time getting back to her roots in Karlstad for a little while.
According to her website, dariannleigh.com, her debut single “Give Me A Minute” immersed her into the Nashville music world, climbing charts across the nation, earning number one spots on numerous stations, and leading her on a national tour. She recorded the song in 2018 and it was released in January 2019.
From there, she has had various opportunities. She has been the featured artist for Prairie Musicians on PBS, graced the cover of Grand Magazine, earned multiple Midwest CMA Award nominations (for New Artist of the Year and Video of the Year) and made appearances on Country Rebel and The Boot. Being a part of the music industry has also provided her with a hands-on business class.
Her new single “Closer” comes out on September 25 and fans can pre-save for it starting on September 14
She will be performing a show close to home— at Newfolden’s Newfest on Saturday, September 12. She looks forward to this show, always loving the opportunity to perform live. This show is the closest one to home that she has performed in this summer.
“Any opportunity to be on stage right now is something that I am all about,” Dariann said. “And I’ve got my guys coming up and we’re just going to do a little three-piece acoustic show which sometimes are my favorite ones—the broken down ones— so I’m excited to give people a good time and really just kind of hanging out back here at home.”
To see the complete story, read the September 10 issue of the North Star News in print or online.
