Chad Brownlee

Biography

Chad Brownlee (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian country music artist, songwriter, actor, and former ice hockey defenceman. He has one #1 Canada Country hit with "Forever's Gotta Start Somewhere".

Sports career

Brownlee was a draft pick for the Vancouver Canucks in 2003, going in the sixth round No. 190th overall. After four years of playing for the NCAA's Minnesota State Mavericks (located in Mankato, Minn.), Brownlee made his professional debut with the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads playing a lone season with the club in the 2007–08 season before ending his playing career.

Music career

Following a series of injuries, he turned his attention to music the following year. His first single, "The Best That I Can (Superhero)", was released in November 2009. Brownlee's self-titled debut album, produced by Mitch Merrett, was released in August 2010 via MDM Recordings. He followed it up with Love Me or Leave Me in 2012. Brownlee was nominated for a Juno Award for Country Album of the Year on February 19, 2013. The awards took place on April 21 in Regina, Saskatchewan. Brownlee's third album, The Fighters, was released on June 3, 2014.
Brownlee landed his first No. 1 hit with "Forever's Gotta Start Somewhere" in April 2019. It was included on the EP Back in the Game, which was released on June 21, 2019, via Universal Music Canada. Brownlee extended that to become his fourth album on January 10, 2020. A July 2020 Nielsen Music study found Brownlee to be the eighth-highest played Canadian artist on domestic radio in the first half of 2020, ahead of Brett Kissel and JP Saxe, and behind Dallas Smith and Drake.
In 2023, Brownlee ended a prolonged hiatus and released the single "The Country Kind".

Acting career

Brownlee's first role as an actor came in 2010 film Tooth Fairy as an unnamed hockey player with no lines. He appeared in the 2021 film Range Roads as Bruce, the ex-boyfriend of the main character Frankie.