SYDNEY, N.S. -- At just 17 years old, Cruz Wilson is starting to make a name for himself as a talented musician and songwriter.

As far as the inspiration that got him there, it was all thanks to a conversation in a Tim Hortons drive-thru.

"I was working in the drive-thru and I asked somebody how their day was and they said, 'Not too good, buddy. I just got laid off.'"

Wilson says the customer told him he lost his job due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Wilson says he asked the man how he's been coping.

"And he said, 'Um, I'm getting by... I'm barely getting by,'" explained Wilson.

A short time later, Wilson wrote a song about his drive-thru experience, which he named "Getting By."

"I don't know, something just clicked in my head and I couldn't get it out of my head, and I think I wrote some of the lyrics on the back of a napkin while I was working that shift," said Wilson.

Wilson started playing piano at five years old. At the age of 10, he joined voice lessons.

Eventually, Wilson began writing his own songs.

"I find as a writer, inspiration strikes at the weirdest times," said Wilson.

Wilson's song was also entered into a contest in which he's currently a semifinalist.

"It's me and 25 other people, (ages) 13 to 17, who are in the competition right now," said Wilson. "And this is worldwide, and we're battling for votes right now."

Aside from the contest, Wilson's new song is also becoming a big hit in his home province.

He says it's a great lesson in the idea that everyone has a story, even the strangers you meet in line for coffee.

"I felt really bad and it's sad," said Wilson. "Because there's really nothing I could have done for this poor guy, but I know a lot of people are going through similar things, and I don't know, I thought I'd write a song about it."

No matter where the music ends up taking Wilson, he can already say he's penned a tune during a global pandemic with a back story as Canadian as it comes.