From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Kalan Porter (born November 11, 1985) is a singer-songwriter from Medicine Hat, Alberta, and the winner of the reality television series Canadian Idol in season 2. He started to sing at an early age and is classically trained, playing several instruments, most notably, the violin and viola. He writes and arranges violin solos for many of his songs. Kalan's first single "Awake in a Dream" is the best selling debut single for a Canadian artist to date and has been certified 8x Platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. He resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Early years
Porter grew up on a buffalo ranch outside of Medicine Hat, Alberta. He is a classically trained musician. His mother used to take him to music lessons saying that one day he'll thank her, and he has said that he now thanks her. He played in a family band that played a variety of music, including covers of popular rock, country and pop songs, as well as their own compositions. In 2004, he was preparing to leave home for Montreal to study viola performance at the Schulich School of Music in McGill University, when he decided to audition for Canadian Idol.
Canadian Idol
Beating out 8,977 other contestants, Porter was crowned "Idol" on September 16, 2004 in front of a live TV audience. He remains the only contestant on Canadian Idol who has never been in the bottom two or three.
Post-Idol career
2004–2005: 219 Days
Porter's first single "Awake in a Dream" was released on October 5, 2004 and debuted at number 1. It spent a total of 8 weeks at the top of the charts and has become the best-selling debut single for a Canadian artist to date as it was certified 8x Platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in November 2004.
His debut album 219 Days, released November 23, 2004, reached number four on the Canadian charts in its first week. The album title, 219 Days, refers to the number of days from his first audition to the release of his debut CD. It has been certified 2x Platinum.
Porter completed a cross-Canada, 65-date tour in 2005. Most of these shows were sold out.
In 2006, Kalan Porter received three Juno Award nominations: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for 219 Days, and Pop Album of the Year. He was a presenter at the 2006 Juno Awards in Halifax. He won the People's Choice Award for the Favourite Canadian Artist in 2005. SOCAN was pleased to honour singer-songwriter Kalan Porter and his co-writer Gregory Johnston with a No. 1 Award for their song “Hurray” which reached the top spot on the MuchMusic Countdown chart on May 29, 2008.
Later in 2006, BMG gave Porter time off before recording his second album. He returned home to his family's buffalo and cattle ranch to be with his mother, who was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, and his grandmother, who was awaiting surgery.
2007–2008: Wake Up Living
Porter's sophomore album, Wake Up Living, was released on 28 August 2007 and debuted at number 7 on the Canadian albums chart. The first single, "Down in Heaven" (which Porter wrote as a tribute to his mother) was available to radio stations from 4 June, and peaked on the Canadian singles chart at number 20.
The music video for the second single from the album, "Destination (Where I Belong)" premiered in November 2007. The track "Walk On Home" was used as the contestant elimination song for Canadian Idol's fifth season.
Porter is recording a third studio album.
Discography
Kalan Porter discography
| Releases |
| ↙Studio albums |
2 |
| ↙Singles |
6 |
| ↙Music videos |
5 |
| ↙B-sides |
5 |
| ↙Collaborations |
2 |
| ↙Tours |
2 |
Albums
Singles
See also
References
External links
| Canadian Idol |
|
| Seasons |
1 (2003) · 2 (2004) · 3 (2005) · 4 (2006) · 5 (2007) · 6 (2008)
|
|
| Host |
|
|
| Judges |
|
|
| Correspondents |
|
|
| Winners |
|
|
| Winner's singles |
|
|
| Runners-up |
|
|
| Other alumni |
|
|
| Other |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
