Written by: Kat Walcott
On August 10th I had the privilege of attending the exclusive YTV's The Next Star Top 6 Industry party at Sopra Lounge in downtown Toronto. It proved to be quite the night as I not only got to rub shoulders with prominent industry people such as former VJ/ songwriter Christopher Ward and Degrassi star/The Next Star host Adamo Ruggiero, but I also got to spend one on one time with each of the very talented and lovely finalists.
My night started out quite mellow, I got to the party about half an hour late but the place was still not full and the finalists had not made their entrance yet, so I tried to start conversation with the other industry people who were there. It was quite difficult, as I was not only the youngest journalist there (which ended up quite funny as multiple men throughout the night offered me drinks and I had to repeatedly show the big black "X" on the back of my hand), but the only journalist there. As I got more comfortable, I sparked conversation with the PR rep as well as with The Next Star judge Christopher Ward, who also holds the title of the first Much Music VJ and is also a very successful songwriter, having penned the 1990 hit "Black Velvet" for Alannah Myles as well as working with people from Hilary Duff to Diana Ross. He proved to be quite a nice guy, very interested in what I did and my thoughts on celebrity entertainment and gossip in general, saying that how in his day "it was more about the art". Before we ended our conversation, I made sure to slip him a card to give to his 13 year old daughter, who at the time was away horse back riding, so she could check out the site.
After speaking with Mr. Ward, I went back to observing the party with Marissa, the PR rep. We spotted Adamo Ruggiero who was talking and laughing with his group of friends. He seemed to be having fun and I was looking forward to hopefully getting the chance to talk with him later as I loved his character Marco on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Finally, after about an hour of eating and mingling, the finalists came out and I was quite anxious, and a little bit nervous, to talk to them. As this was the finalists' first industry party and many of them were from small towns, I had assumed that they would be a bit shy and nervous, but they proved to be quite the opposite! They were all very outgoing and excited to talk with me and I could tell that they were very interested in KatGotYourTongue.Net with some of them even asking me what it takes to make it on the site! They also all looked like complete stars as they all had recently gotten makeovers for the show.
Wide eyed, 14 year old Lizz, who was the first I talked to and claimed to have heard about KGYT, was the first to ask me this question and I told her to stand out, be passionate, but still be herself. She seemed very content with this advice and told me that she hoped to touch people with her music, whether she won the competition or not. Unfortunately, within all the hoopla, I somehow didn't manage to get a picture with her, which was a bit disappointing.
Probably one of the most interesting finalists I spoke with was Darrelynne, a sweet small town girl of Métis heritage with multi coloured hair from Manitoba. She was very open with me and talked about how coming Toronto was quite the whirlwind experience for her as it was her first time traveling so far from home, in fact it was her first time on a plane! Darrelynne also joked that with all the culture that Toronto has, it's hard deciding what to order when she's at a restaurant because there are so many choices. Another thing that struck me about Darrelynne was that her appearance gave off the impression that she was a rocker, but her musical style leans more towards laid back country or blues and she plays acoustic guitar. She is quite the talent!
Next I spoke with 14 year old Halifax native Wren. Like her name, Wren is a unique talent who's style, even though she listens to "screamo", is much more mellow, laid back and feel good. Wren was a bit shy and quiet at first, but soon opened up to me and expressed how happy and excited she was to be part of the competition.
Next I chatted with Tianda, a very cute and sweet 15 year old from Fraser Lake, BC. Tianda came across very confident and without a doubt had the most drastic makeover of the finalists trading her long, dark brown hair for a highlighted, more mature asymmetrical bob. She's a multi-talent who not only sings, but plays the guitar and seems to be having the time of her life being part of The Next star and learning so many new things.
Next I met Rayandra, a 13 year old from Mississauga, who was incredibly bubbly and had so much personality. She was very outgoing and seemed the most excited about her makeover saying, since she now had extensions, that she loved having long hair. Rayandra also mentioned that one of the best things that she has experienced being part of the Next Star is being introduced to different styles of music and becoming more musically diverse.
Last, but certainly not least, I chatted with Brock; a tall, friendly faced 15 year old from Richmond, BC who happens to be the only guy in the top 6. When I asked him if he was holding his own with all the girls, he smiled and said that he definitely was, but admitted that it was kind of strange being the only guy there. He also claimed that he had what it takes to make it on KGYT saying that he's outgoing and loves to entertain people and hopes that he can do that for as long as possible. I told him that he definitely has star quality and that the ladies will love him.
Once my interviews with the finalists were completed I had the chance to quickly say hi to Adamo Ruggiero who was very nice and hilarious, when I told him that the finalists looked great he laughed and told me that he didn't understand why they looked better than him. He was also very flattered when I told him that Degrassi: The Next Generation was no longer the same without him and told me to watch Degrassi Goes Hollywood (airing on CTV Aug.30th) to see all the old cast members reunited.
With that, my long night ended and I headed back to the hotel. I really enjoyed meeting so many awesome people at the party and for my first industry party, I felt quite proud of myself. Make sure to watch The Next Star every Friday at 6 PM EST on YTV to see the finalists in action and in the next couple of weeks see some footage from the party and my interviews!