By Erin Bury
It has become a familiar scene to many Canadians: two contestants, clutching each other on a huge stage in front of an audience of screaming fans and a panel of judges, all waiting to see which one of them will become the next Canadian Idol.
The nation is captivated, having followed the journeys of these previous unknowns since day one. When a winner is announced, there is crying and hugging and lots of fanfare. Oh, and maybe a little singing. After all, that’s what the competition is about, right?
Canadian Idol has become one of the most popular reality shows in Canada, following in the footsteps of its popular American counterpart. The shows have the same setup, the same enthusiastic host, and the same set of hopeful contestants trying to break into the tough music industry.
There is only one difference between the two shows: the American winners have lasting musical success.
The U.S. version of the show has spawned huge stars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken. Clarkson, a Grammy-winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, is the show’s most decorated alum. Clay Aiken has had similar success, and just released his second album, which debuted at number two on the Billboard charts. These artists have proved they have not only raw talent, but staying power.
Their American Idol fans have stuck with them, and they’ve won new ones along the way. For them, American Idol was just a stepping stone to a great career, not the defining moment of their time in the biz.
Canadian Idol is different in that respect. Although the show is popular in Canada, it seems to be more of a “reality hit” than a barometer for a person’s musical success.
That’s not to say that Canadian Idol winners haven’t had success. The winner of the first season, Ryan Malcolm, saw his first single go four times platinum the day it was released, and his album received a Juno nomination. Second-season winner Kalan Porter’s album went double platinum and received three Juno nominations. Last season’s winner Melissa O’Neil had similar success, and her album went platinum four times.
But a strange thing happens to Canadian Idol winners after their initial success: they disappear. A magic trick? Not quite. They probably don’t mean to fall into oblivion, never to be seen again except on a MuchMusic one-hit-wonders special, but it seems to happen anyway. After all, their buzz as Canadian Idol winner only lasts so long.
After their singles get their fair share of airplay, and after their debut CD’s fall off the charts and into the crammed “pop” section of record stores, they are nowhere to be seen or heard. It could be that they lack the star power of the American winners, or perhaps their fans only stick around for their debut album and then move on to the next season’s contestants.
That’s not to say they won’t be back: after all, Porter and O’Neil have sophomore CD’s on the way, which could be hits. And the most recent winner, Gatineau’s Eva Avila, will be releasing her first offerings that are sure to be successful. But if history repeats itself, she won’t have a Kelly Clarkson-like career. Instead, her time in the limelight will be about as long as the name of Porter’s debut CD: 219 Days. He named that CD to represent the number of days from his first Idol audition to the release of his first CD. Maybe a better title would have been 15 minutes: after all, that’s all the time Canadian Idols get to spend as music stars.