hello!
We are CMAO Award-Nominated Canadian Country Duo Amanda & James!
Nice to meet you.
We’re a high-energy, heartfelt country duo from Southern Ontario. We’re a little bit cheeky and a little bit down-to-earth. Think sort of like Blake Shelton meets Adele: warm, witty, and real. Our music ranges from good-time anthems to soul-stirring ballads, with rich harmonies and powerhouse vocals at the core. We were pleased as punch to be nominated for Group or Duo of the Year at the 2025 CMAO Awards.
This year, we’re hitting stages all over Ontario from outdoor festivals to intimate venues. Our set blends original songs like Another Round and Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right with crowd-favourite covers like Need You Now, Shallow, and our own country version of (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life. Check out our show page, come out to a gig, and say hello after the show.
We believe in connecting with people authentically and building community - our fans are like neighbours. We hope our songs meet you where you’re at - whether you’re in the mood to grab a beverage and have a good time, or whether you need to pull up a chair and have a good cry. We got you. Everybody is welcome here. Join our email list and we’ll occasionally say hi and tell you what’s going on in our world (we promise not to pester you with excessive emails … ahem Walmart). You can also join our social community on Facebook or Instagram.
With rich harmonies, soaring vocals, and a shared love for authentic storytelling, we are aiming to craft a sound that is both classic and current.
Learn more about us individually by reading our bios below. Thanks for being here. We appreciate you. — Amanda & James
Meet Amanda Kind
Singer, Songwriter, Vocal Coach, Coffee Snob
Amanda Kind is gutsy, grounded, and gloriously unpretentious. A West Coast girl with a heart full of lyrics and a head full of vocal pedagogy, she’s equal parts singer, vocal coach, and the kind of friend who’ll hype you up and tell you when your eyeliner’s crooked. Whether she’s singing her soul out on stage or talking real-life stuff like confidence, body image, or the beauty of imperfection, Amanda shows up with a big voice and an even bigger heart.
Originally from White Rock, BC (aka the California of Canada), she somehow ended up in Waterloo, Ontario despite her deep disdain for snow and a winter coat boycott that lasts until the frostbite risk is real. Her musical roots run as eclectic as her coffee order: Dolly, Ella, Shania, Whitney, Martina, Mariah, Alanis, Green Day (she still pines for Billie Joe Armstrong) - yes, all of them. Her sound blends the soul of classic country with the drive of modern pop all served with the warm energy of a half sweet, extra hot, upside-down caramel macchiato (Starbucks forever).
She’s a sought-after commercial voice teacher and vocal nerd, teaching private clients through her company Vocal Versatility and classes at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has training from Kwantlen University College, Canadian College of Performing Arts, University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, Boston Conservatory, CCM Institute at Shenandoah, and beyond. She believes in staying curious, learning constantly, and helping artists find their voices on and off stage.
Amanda’s debut country EP features fan favourites like Slow Dance (#1 on SiriusXM’s Top of the Country), The Good Fight, Rebel Spirit, and Love Used to Live Here.
She picked up a Waterloo Region Arts Award, a Top 40 Under 40 nod, and the Rogers Woman of the Year Award - all while mentoring rising stars as the Artistic Director of KW Glee and then Pop Nation Canada.
She met fellow artist James Downham in an online songwriting group in 2021 (because where else do wholesome duos form these days?), and the vocal chemistry was instant. Their first duet, We’re Okay, started as a one-off collaboration and ended up launching a country duo. After two more singles and a twangy take on Dirty Dancing’s (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Amanda & James seemed inevitable. He wanted the duo name to be James & Amanda, but she won the coin toss (a truly poetic moment given his affinity for small change).
Occasionally unfiltered, lovingly feisty, but fiercely kind, Amanda is living proof that you can be bold, brassy, and a little bit boujee - but still have your boots firmly on the ground. More about Amanda at www.amandakind.com.
Meet James Downham
Singer, Songwriter, Coin Enthusiast, Former Tim McGraw Tribute Performer
James Downham is the kind of guy who can belt out a country ballad on Saturday night, then show up on your porch Sunday morning with a power drill and a double-double (Timmies forever). With a voice that lands somewhere between butter and velvet, a toolbox of cheeky jokes, and enough small-town charm to run for mayor (of at least three towns), James brings heart, humour, and honesty to everything he does - whether he’s on stage, in the studio, or deep down a coin-collecting rabbit hole (yes, really).
Raised in Pembroke and Picton, now based in Stratford, Ontario with his wife Ange and three cats (who clearly run the household), James is no stranger to reinvention - or rural routes. Before diving into original music, he spent over a decade touring North America in a Tim McGraw tribute act, fine-tuning a sound that blends classic country richness with a modern rock edge. He was the Season 2 winner of The Shot, and later returned as one of just 14 artists selected for The Shot: Canada vs. USA. He also recorded and performed with his buddies in the Durham County Band, releasing singles like Let’s Move and Don’t Turn Away.
Most people don’t know that James is an elite-level merch guy. While it’s not technically his job, he could probably run a small empire of T-shirts, trucker hats, and glitter stickers if he wanted to. You could say he has “the time of his life” selling merch - no one gets more excited about a box of fresh ball caps or a sparkly logo decal than James Downham. At shows, he’s been known to sell you a shirt, sign it, and convince you to get a second one for your cousin - all with a grin and zero pressure. He’s got the charisma of a born frontman and the heart of a small-town shopkeeper who just wants everyone to go home with something nice.
In 2023, he released his solo album The Long Way Home, featuring radio singles like One Mile at a Time, Raised On, Unwind, and Wine & Whiskey. A sweeping duet called We’re Okay with Amanda Kind changed the game. After two more collaborations - In the Mood for Christmas and Another Round - the pair officially combined forces with a countrified cover of Dirty Dancing’s (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life. A duo was born. He lobbied for James & Amanda, but ultimately let Amanda & James win. He’s a gentleman, so… ladies first. (Also, it sounds better. Probably.)
Ever the optimist, James is the kind of guy who sees the silver lining, plays the long game, and looks for a reason to keep driving even when the road gets muddy. He may be called Downham, but for James, everything is looking up. More about James Downham at www.jamesdownham.com.