Tyler Shaw was at home making dinner for himself, his wife and their three young children when he received an email about his application to represent Canada at Eurovision. “The house was complete chaos,” the 33-year-old singer-songwriter from Richmond, B.C., recalled. He opened it to learn he would be one of five finalists hoping to make history as the country’s first competitor in the 70-year-old song contest, which will be held in Bulgaria in 2027. “Top five is something to be very proud about,” Shaw told CTV News on Tuesday. From the moment Canada’s debut at the European Song Contest was announced July 1, 2026, Shaw says he knew he would apply. He was selected from 325 applications submitted to CBC/Radio-Canada, along with fellow musicians Ottawa’s Talk, Montreal-born Rêve, Josiane of Dieppe, N.B. and William Cloutier from Victoriaville, Que. Shaw is no stranger to music competitions, having won the 2012 MuchMusic Covers Contest at just 19 years old. He quickly rose to fame later that year after his debut single ‘Kiss Goodnight’ reached platinum. Shaw is now a multi-platinum-selling artist with 10 top 10 charting singles, four studio albums, and multiple JUNO Award nominations. He’s also opened for artists like Shawn Mendes and Alessia Cara and toured with Selena Gomez. While Shaw is now based out of Ottawa, he says B.C. still very much feels like home, having been raised in the Tri-Cities, attending school in Port Coquitlam and playing soccer in Port Moody. “Music really did start for me at Pitt River Middle School,” Shaw said. “Shout out to Mr. Lambert, my music teacher, who sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago. He was the one who put the guitar in my hand and said ‘play this.’” He says he has fond memories of playing open mic nights at Waves Coffee House, dropping off a demo CD to The Fox radio station and busking on Granville Street. “The most I made in one day was $20, which was a bit deal!” Shaw recalled. “There’s just so much that happened in those 18 years that are totally part of my music journey.” He went on to study sociology at the University of Prince Edward Island before his music career took him to Toronto and family life relocated him to Ottawa. “My Canadian story is literally coast to coast,” said Shaw, who also has Chinese, Ukrainian and Polish heritage. His fate—along with that of the four other finalists—now lies the hands of Canadians. From now until Nov. 5, Canadians can watch the finalists’ performances online and vote for their favourite artist. The winner will be announced in December and represent Canada on the Eurovision stage in Bulgaria in 2027. Shaw says he’s already preparing for what’s sure to be an emotional performance. “I have probably five or six voice notes of song ideas that I’ve already started for the Eurovision stage,” Shaw explained.
