The Idols May Not Be

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The Idols May Not Be

Postby Marsbar » Fri Nov 29, 2013 7:37 pm

It's no secret how I feel about any of The Idol TV series. To me its about everything except music. Here's a run-down of what became of the Canadian Idol success stories.

SEASON ONE

Winner: Ryan Malcolm. His post-Idol debut, 2003’s Home, sold 170,000 copies and made it to No. 4 on the Canadian charts. Formed the alt-rock outfit Low Level Flight in 2006 and has since released the albums Urgency and Through These Walls in 2007 and 2011, respectively. Left for Costa Rica this past Tuesday to open a restaurant and is, thus, the envy of everyone in Canada.

1st Runner-Up: Gary Beals. The Cherry Brook, NS, native has released two albums since his Idol tenure, an eponymous debut LP in 2004 and The Rebirth of . . . in 2009. He appeared in Snow White and the Group of Seven at the Elgin Theatre with Malcolm and fellow runner-up Billy Klippert in 2006. Played Adelaide Hall on Nov. 15 as one of the vocalists fronting the 30-piece Motown-tribute orchestra The Big Sound.

2nd Runner-Up: BillyKlippert. Has released two albums, 2004’s Billy Klippert and 2006’s Naked and the Simple Truth, the latter of which Exclaim.ca said: “There’s really nothing redeeming here.” He has a Twitter account from which he has never tweeted.

SEASON TWO

Winner: Kalan Porter. The Medicine Hat, AB, elfboy notched a double-platinum debut with 219 Days in 2004 before sidelining his career to support his mom in her fight against breast cancer two years later. He followed up with Wake Up Living in 2007, but began another life as a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in September 2012.

1st Runner-Up: Theresa Sokyrka. The Moosejaw sweetheart is now five records into an adventurous and respectable career that has seen her collaborate with the Cowboy Junkies’ Michael Timmins and members of the extended New Pornographers family, release an album of traditional Ukrainian folk songs and comb the streets of Madrid for players to accompany her on this past June’s Prairie Winds.

2nd Runner-Up: Jacob Hoggard. Season 2’s punkish wild card, the Surrey, BC-raised Hoggard, parlayed TV notoriety into four consecutive double-platinum records with his arena-friendly rock band Hedley. Hedley just followed up a No. 4 Canadian chart debut for its fifth album, Wild Life, with a halftime performance last weekend at the Grey Cup.

SEASON THREE

Winner: Melissa O’Neil. Managed a gold Canadian album with her self-titled Sony debut in 2005, sang for a spell with Toronto funk ensemble God Made Me Funky and has carved a niche for herself in musical theatre with parts in the Toronto production of Dirty Dancing, the 2011 Stratford run of Jesus Christ Superstar and a current role as Épinone in Les Misérables at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Next: Broadway.

1st Runner-Up: Rex Goudie. Sold 100,000 copies of his 2005 Sony Music Canada debut, Under the Lights. Became the subject of two biographies in his native Newfoundland in 2006. Went indie for 2010’s One Hundred Pages Later.

2nd Runner-Up: Aaron Walpole. Released a self-titled LP in 2006 but has since decisively returned to his musical-theatre roots with big roles in Toronto productions of Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ Superstar and Les Misérables, in which he currently subs as Jean Valjean once a week. Next: Broadway.

SEASON FOUR

Winner: Eva Avila. Had a gold Canadian release in 2006’s Somewhere Else. Modelled for the Ford Agency and Maybelline cosmetics. Has toured Quebec relentlessly as a member of the classic-rock covers ensemble Les Vikings. Issued a new single, “Bitter Meets Sweet,” to swift CanCon radio action in mid-October with an eye to a new album entitled Dream You Better in 2014.

1st Runner-Up: Craig Sharpe. Perhaps an even throbbier Newfoundland-bred Idol heartthrob than Rex Goudie, Sharpe released his debut album, I Am, in 2007. He remains the subject of much online adoration.

2nd Runner-Up: Tyler Lewis. Released an album entitled I’m Coming Home in 2007. Was mentioned in a sermon about “false idols” by sometime Rockglen, SK, United Church pastor Ian Kellogg last May.

SEASON FIVE

Winner: Brian Melo. Sold 52,000 copies of his 2007 Sony Music Canada debut, Livin’ It. Was the titular subject of a “Brian Melo Day” declared in Hamilton on Oct. 12 of the same year. Spent part of last summer writing a follow-up to 2010’s The Truth in Nashville.

1st Runner-Up: Jaydee Bixby. Only 23, the Drumheller baby face with the hurtin’-country baritone put a third album under his belt this past August with Work in Progress.

2nd Runner-Up: Carly Rae Jepsen. The Bieber-endorsed monster “Call Me Maybe” was the biggest song of 2012 and the subsequent Kiss one of the finest pop albums of the year. The one true, Kelly Clarkson-sized phenom to emerge from Canadian Idol.

SEASON SIX

Winner: Theo Tams. His obligatory Idol-winner album, Give It All Away, came out via Sony Canada in 2009. Has since formed the country-ish duo Beyond the Mountain with Vancouver songstress Carly Jean Campbell.

1st Runner-Up: Mitch MacDonald. The Cape Breton singer now performs with three of his siblings (Kelly Jean, Gordie and Brennan MacDonald) in a roots band called Company Road.

2nd Runner-Up: Drew Wright. His band Fall and Divide broke up earlier this year. Now fronts Rocksauce. He played Ajax on Nov. 19 and just told Durhamregion.com he’s working on some “original acoustic material” and hopes to release another record next year.
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Re: The Idols May Not Be

Postby shell824 » Fri Nov 29, 2013 10:05 pm

I purchased the Melissa O’Neil CD. She is attractive and has a great voice.

I always used to buy the "Women and Song" CDs, too, as they were always released close to Christmas, and Patty & I would be in Toronto to spend Christmas with my family more often than not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_&_Songs
Prepare to tremble !
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