"This Has Far Exceeded Anything That I Would Have Ever Imagined" - An Interview with Canadian Idol Kalan Porter
by Paris Cosby -- 11/29/2004

Kalan Porter was crowned the winner of Canadian Idol 2 on September 16. Paris spoke to Kalan the morning after his win. Kalan discussed his time on the show, why "Nature Boy" overwhelmed him, and what he plans to do next.

Editor's Note: Paris Cosby talked to Kalan Porter the day after the Canadian Idol 2 finale. However, due to a computer problem the interview was temporarily lost. It has now been recovered for fans to enjoy!

After a busy night and just less than two hours of sleep, Kalan was tired but told me he was having a fun day. "I'm having fun! You never know when it's going to be over, so I'm just soaking up every minute of it."

The quiet, seemingly shy 18-year-old is actually very outgoing and chatty. He told me that he was surprised to win. "I knew how crazy the whole competition was and how quick it can change up… I thought Theresa (Sokyrka) performed well on the Wednesday night, so I was really worried."

Kalan didn't have much to worry about. He has fans, not only in Canada, but all over the world. I told him about 8-year-old Bridgette from Texas who watched all of his performances online. Always the gentleman, Kalan said, "Oh! You gotta say hi to her for me." So, Bridgette, if you're reading, Kalan says hi!

As far as his CD goes, Kalan told me it would be out sometime in November. "Hopefully before Christmas, hopefully in November." He will be choosing the songs (for the most part), and would definitely like to put some rock on the album as well as play some violin. [Editor's Note: Kalan's CD was released in Canada last week; it is also available for import via Amazon.com by clicking this link or in the box at the end of this article.]

Coming from a musical family, Kalan has been submerged in music for most of his life - starting piano lessons at five and voice lessons at eight. Kalan kept up his voice lessons for "about five or six years," until the focus shifted to opera, which he admitted he "wasn't really into." Besides piano, Kalan also plays violin, viola, guitar, and bass.

I asked how his family was doing with the big win. He said, "They're excited and concerned." Kalan will be staying in Toronto for a while before being able to fly back home to Medicine Hat. He misses everyone but is really looking forward to working on the album.

Looking back at Kalan's near flawless performances, I wondered which one was his favourite, although I figured it was "Born To Be Wild." It was. Kalan said it was the most fun to perform. He also said that "Nature Boy" overwhelmed him a little bit. "When I got that song, I thought, oh man, I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I'm that kind of singer. But, I was able to kinda pull it off." I laughed and thought geez, if that's "kinda" pulling something off I wonder what he would consider a "good" performance. He did admit, however, that he is his own worst critic and that he picks apart every performance.

Is Kalan ever nervous? "All the time," he said. "For me, it was about focusing on the singing and not thinking, oh man, there's three million people on the other end of that camera."
My favourite part of the entire season, which is also an Idol franchise first, was the group performance of "Canadian Railroad Trilogy." When Kalan and I spoke about it, he said, "The whole show was very cool - very Canadian. I felt very proud to be Canadian. And, it was a great opportunity to play our instruments. It showcases us, not only as singers, but as musicians, and shows that we've been working at this a while. It breaks down some of those stigmas that people have about the show."

Where does Kalan go from here? He told me, "I take it one hour at a time so I don't get too overwhelmed. I plan to sit down with Ryan (Malcolm) and have a talk. There's no one else that really knows what this is like more than him."

And, for all you fans out there, Kalan wanted to say a "huge thank you - a genuine thank you… I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me."

We actually almost didn't have a Kalan Porter on the show. He told me, "At first, I didn't want to (try out) at all. But, my parents said if you really want to do something in music, this is a great opportunity and you should really take advantage of it if you can." He did have an audition (for violin) at McGill University. A week before the Canadian Idol auditions, he decided to cancel the McGill audition and do Canadian Idol. "I said I guess I'll give it a shot - not having any expectations at all… This has far exceeded anything that I would have ever imagined."
I want to thank Kalan for taking the time to talk to us and for entertaining us all summer. We're all extremely proud and happy to see him become the next Canadian Idol and we wish him the best of luck and much success!

SOURCE: http://www.foxesonidol.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1644.art&page=1