Rising musical talents from BC and new "X-Factor" sensation

By Joe Leary | Aug 27, 2009

At just fifteen, Brock Zanrosso displays a musical style and comfort level much beyond his tender years.

As one of only sixteen contestants selected from an original audition process of over 3,000 musical hopefuls from across the country looking to become YTV’s ‘The Next Star’, the Richmond teen now finds himself the lone male among the remaining six finalists as well as being the sole representative of British Columbia.

“It’s been a pretty fun experience,” he tells me of the process which saw his rendition of ‘Mad World’ absolutely wow the judging panel recently. “It is a competition but we’re all supportive of each other.”

‘The Next Star’ is a nationwide talent hunt open to kids under the age of fifteen, all vying to be Canada’s next great singing sensation. The winner will receive a grand prize package valued at over $35,000 including studio time to write and record two songs, then have those songs produced by Universal Music and released next spring. From there, the winning hopeful will debut their material in their own showcase at our nation’s annual premiere entertainment event, Canadian Music Week. As for young Brock, not only does he have the support of his fellow students at Richmond’s H.J. Cambie Secondary School, he also leads all other contenders in online voting at www.ytv.com.

The winner will be declared on September 27. Good luck to a really talented and very personable local kid.

Meantime, another great local talent, Dan Mangan continues to see his stock rise.

The 26-year-old singer/songwriter has steadily built a dedicated fan base in just six years, following the release of his first acoustic EP, ‘All at Once’ in which he pressed just 500 copies and initially gave them away throughout the Vancouver area.

With his following ever-growing (I call it Mangan-Mania) and his skills as a performer continually developing and maturing, Dan’s popularity now covers a lot of area, while his music is finally finding a home on radio stations such as The Peak.

Mangan’s newest release is called ‘Nice, Nice, Very Nice’ and features what could just be a true pop hit for the folk singer, ‘Robots’, while the album itself is drawing high praise from a number of sources.

Exclaim! Magazine says, “…Knocks you flat on your ass…Mangan’s career is clearly on the rise. Hop on the board and enjoy the ride.” It’s worthy praise indeed for a truly gifted artist. Check it out: www.danmanganmusic.com

When it comes to discovering talent, Great Britain never seems to run shy of contenders vying to be that nation’s next great up and comer. The latest ‘overnight’ sensation is a 27-year-old British art teacher named Danyl Johnson.

Following fellow Brits Paul Potts and Susan Boyle - who created something of an international stir for themselves following their televised appearances - Johnson just may have surpassed both of them, at least in terms of initial response and popularity.

During last week’s opening round of ‘The X-Factor’, show judge and ‘X-Factor’ co-producer Simon Cowell cited Johnson’s stirring rendition of the Joe Cocker classic, ‘With a Little Help From my Friends’, as being “single-handedly the best first audition I’ve ever heard.”
High praise indeed, but seemingly deserved, as this guy’s really got that “it” quality.
After just one appearance, betting shops all across the pond are already pegging him to be the overall winner while ‘Danyl-Mania’ begins to firmly take hold.

Within just days of his performance being posted on You Tube, the clip has already registered well in excess of two million views. While externally, Johnson may appear decidedly different from Britain’s most recent overnight sensation, Susan Boyle, his path to the performance stage wasn’t a particularly easy one. He currently holds down jobs at three different London area schools teaching drama and dance, having blown his own prior attempts at stardom.
Until 2006, Johnson was a member of a less than successful British boy band called ‘Street Level’, and that same year had auditioned for the television show, only to be denied a spot and sent packing without even reaching the judging portion.

Let me know what you think of Danyl Johnson. Check out the video here.