The Canadian Idol
As you may or may not know, Andrew Austin is a veteran cast member of Canadian Idol 2007. He lived in the Royal York hotel for a couple of months and played the part of a talented singer… not a talented songwriter. Andrew stumbled upon the open call audition for Canadian idol while shopping for pants. He conveniently had his guitar with him and said to himself “why not?”.
To his surprise, Andrew was asked not to play his original music at the audition. Thankfully, he had an arsenal of covers under his belt and made it through to real live show. I first heard about Andrew Austin through the grapevine by word of mouth. Adam Bailie tipped me off to a local talent getting booked to contend in Canadian Idol. It was only then that I sought him out and considered approaching him for an interview.
It seems to be the perfect path for a singer who is looking to work with a songwriter or producer, but I have always wondered if it was worth the experience as a songwriter. Either way, there seems to be ample opportunity to be humiliated by one of the judges or even praised by a million viewers. It’s a double edge sword that could make or break you.
Luckily for Andrew Austin, his experience was fun and he made lasting friends with other cast members. Andrew says it made him famous for a brief moment and that it only aids his resume in limited areas after the fact; it helps bring fans out to shows but when selling himself to the industry executives, he doesn’t play up the Canadian Idol role. Rather he presents himself as a singer/songwriter pimping his indie release Just The Way I Feel;
Andrew’s CD is described as melodic pop/rock music centered around awesome vocals with a jazzy soul infusion. His lyrics are heart felt and his voice carries across the room with ease. It’s no surprise his voice got him booked on Canadian Idol.
It’s like listening to a boy cry out to his lost love in a romantic song. If you’re in the habit of supporting indie singer/songwriters or listen to bands like the temptations, bobby brown, or other acts of the late 70s early 80s soul circuit, I highly recommend you buy this disc.
For more about Andrew Austin or to find out where he’ll be next, visit http://www.andrewaustin.ca
