Since its first season, Canadian Idol winners and finalists have released over 40 albums. More than one million units have been sold, netting seven #1 Canadian singles and 17 JUNO Award nominations.
As the country prepares to celebrate the newest Canadian Idol, several past winners and finalists are poised to release new albums and tour Canada in support of them – including Brian Melo, Tara Oram, Carly Rae Jepsen and Eva Avila:
SEASON 5
Brian Melo – (Winner)
Since winning Canadian Idol one year ago, Brian Melo has established himself as one of Canada’s premiere live performers, touring the country in support of his debut album, Livin’ It. Brian’s latest video, for his “Summertime” single, can be seen on TVs across the country. Most recently, Brian rocked it in Portugal last month, where he performed at the Angra Rock Fest. eTalk gave Brian a camera to shoot a video diary of the experience, which will air on eTalk in the coming weeks. Brian hits the stage on the live two-hour season finale of Canadian Idol tomorrow night on CTV. Hear Brian at www.brianmelo.com.
Jaydee Bixby (Top 2)
Jaydee Bixby’s debut CD, Cowboys and Cadillacs has reached #1 on the Canadian country music charts and #8 on the Canadian album charts. Currently sitting at #13, his first single, “Old Fashioned Girl,” is receiving major airplay on radio stations while he continues to tour across the country; catch him in Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario this fall. Hear Jaydee at www.jaydeebixby.com.
Carly Rae Jepsen (Top 3)
Carly Rae Jepsen’s debut album, Tug of War, hits store shelves on September 30, 2008, while her first single, “Sunshine on My Shoulders” is currently playing on radio stations across the country. Carly Rae will be touring in support of Tug of War soon. Hear Carly Rae at http://www.myspace.com/carlyraemusic.
Tara Oram (Top 6)
Tara Oram’s recently-released single, “Fly Girl,” has been climbing the Canadian country charts and currently sits at #17. Signed to Open Road Recordings, Tara has been putting the finishing touches on her debut album as well as starring in the documentary series The Tara Diaries on CMT. The Tara Diaries spotlights the making of Tara’s album, videos and everything that comes along with being in the music industry. Watch for Tara – who recently appeared in television ads for Pantene Pro-V nation wide – to hit the road in support of her debut album. Hear Tara at www.taraoram.com.
SEASON 4
Eva Avila (Winner)
JUNO nominee Eva Avila is currently putting the finishing touches on her sophomore album – scheduled to street in October – the follow-up to her Gold Record-selling Somewhere Else, which spawned the #1 single, “Meant to Fly.” In the meantime, Eva’s first single and title track from the forthcoming album, “Give Me the Music,” literally exploded during its first week on Canadian radio; look for Eva to do select dates during the fall and then tour in support of her latest album early in the new year. Following her Canadian Idol win in Season 4, Eva – after signing an unprecedented contract with Ford Models – became the first Canadian ambassador of Maybelline New York. Eva also signed on with Sony of Canada to promote Vaio and other Sony Electronics as well as recording “Canada (You’re a Lifetime Journey),” the finale song to the film O Canada!, which is shown at the Canadian Pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Hear Eva at www.evaavila.com
Steffi DiDomenicantonio (Top 5)
Steffi DiDomenicantonio is currently playing the lead role of “Isle” in the ongoing U.S. national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. Ever the performer, Steffi recently finished filming two seasons of Moitié Moitié, a French-language television program which aired this past February on TFO. Visit Steffi at http://www.myspace.com/steffidbowpower.
Meanwhile, Season 3 winner Melissa O’Neil continues to perform in the hit Toronto musical Dirty Dancing, while Season 2 winner Kalan Porter (www.myspace.com/kalanporter) and Season 1 winner Ryan Malcolm have both released critically-acclaimed sophomore CDs within the past year. Ryan’s band Low Level Flight (www.lowlevelflight.com) is embarking on a fall tour of Eastern Canada beginning later this month.
The next Canadian Idol will be announced in a star-studded results episode airing live on CTV on Wednesday, September 10 at 9 p.m. ET. Featured in the two-hour finale are performances by chart-topper Mariah Carey along with John Legend, Hedley, current Canadian Idol champ Brian Melo, Idol’s newest cast member Jully Black and the Canadian Idol Top 10.
Highlights from each week’s Canadian Idol episodes are available on demand on the CTV Video Player at CTV.ca. Encore presentations of each week’s Performance and Results Episodes also air back-to-back Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MuchMoreMusic.
