Young musician inspired after once-in-a-lifetime moment at Country Thunder

Midway through his set at the Country Thunder Music Festival in Craven, Saskatchewan, country music star Riley Green gave Lea Mck a little smile and thumbs up.

Mck, whose name off-the-stage is Learyn Sylvestre-Piche, worked her way to the front of the 25,000 person crowd, holding a sign that read “Can I sing ‘You Look Like You Love Me?’with you?”. The thumbs up and smile meant that Mck’s dream was about to become a reality.

“After he gave me a thumbs up, I put my poster down. I didn’t want to overdo it. But my family behind me was screaming,” said Mck, a member of Birch Narrows Dene Nation.

“Even before he started his set, I was shaking. I felt like this was going to happen.”

After a few more songs, Green was about to start ‘You Look Like You Love Me?’ when he gave Mck her official invite on stage.

“He said something like, ‘I don’t often do this because it usually doesn’t work, but I’m going to give this young lady a chance to sing a duet.’”

Mck said the spotlight suddenly found her in the crowd, on the other side of the security fence. The security guards weren’t particularly helpful, telling her she needed to jump the fence to access the stage. But fate was waiting for her – as she climbed over the fence, there was a small stepping stool, directly below the barrier.

“It was like it was meant to be,” she said. “Going up to the stage, I was in shock. I thought there was no way I am actually doing this.”

“I thought I was going to forget the lyrics. I was so nervous, I remember my vocals shaking. But as the song started I thought, ‘this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. I don’t need to be scared.’ So I just did it.”

After the song was over, Mck got another small dose of what stardom feels like. As she was leaving the stage and returning to the audience, fans stuck out their hands to shake and high-five Mck. Even the security guards, who were previously a bit cold, escorted her back to the crowd.

“It felt for a moment like it was my own concert. It was incredible.”

Mck said the experience has provided a huge amount of motivation to pursue her own musical dreams.

Growing up in Turner Lake, Saskatchewan, Mck has been immersed in music her entire life. Her grandfather and father are musicians, often playing the music of legendary country musician George Jones around the house.

Mck started singing at the age of three, and self-learned the guitar at 12 years-old after her father got her a guitar chords poster from Costco. At 16 years-old, she started learning to play the harmonica. Since, she’s been playing across Western Canada with her dad’s band and her own, including playing a music showcase at Big Valley Jamboree in 2025.