Kellie Loder gives her musical career Benefit of the Doubt

"I feel like now that I've chosen this career completely, my head is different about it," says singer, musician and songwriter Kellie Loder.

Loder's first big break came in 2012, when she was nominated for a Juno award in the Christian/Gospel music album category, for her albumImperfections and Directions.

At that time, Loder, who is originally from Badger, N.L., was a nursing student who played music on the side.

Since then, Loder has gone from nursing student to full-time musician, and her third album, Benefit of the Doubt, is a mainstream contemporary music effort.

"I still write music that's spiritual, I just want it to be more relatable to everybody," says Loder.

A careful process

Loder has been carefully crafting Benefit of the Doubt for almost two years, working with producers Ian Foster in St. John's and Justin Gray in Los Angeles.

She's also been involved in the production process herself, and has been seeking out mentors in the music industry locally and across North America.

Loder added that, should she get nominated for another Juno, this time she'll be ready to take her career to the next level.

"I'm going to push my album to the masses," says Loder with a laugh.

Hear Kellie Loder talk with Weekend AM's Heather Barrett.

Do you have a new album of music that Weekend AM should know about for First Listen? Email us wam@cbc.ca and tell us about it.

You can hear First Listen on Sundays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One.