Music
Press
Friday June 27, 2008
Many local viewers tuned in to Canadian Idol last week to find out if Plum Coulee’s Jordan Janzen made it to the final cut.
Janzen was one of only 24 Manitoba performers who passed the Canadian Idol regional auditions in Winnipeg last February, earning him an all-expense-paid trip to Toronto to compete in the semi-finals.
And while the rest of us had to wait until June 16 to hear the result, Janzen already knew his fate back in early May, when the competition was pre-recorded.
He was one of 200 semi-finalists from across the country, competing for the top 22.
“I almost made it,” Janzen says from the recording studio where he is currently producing a new CD. “I did make it to the second last round. I was up against some really amazing talent.”
The first song he performed was You’ll Think of Me by Keith Urban, which was well-received by the judges and advanced him to the next round.
But in the end, the local star flew back to Manitoba without Idol status.
Undaunted, Janzen says it was still a great journey, “well worth the trip.”
“When you just watch the show on TV, you don’t realize how exciting the whole thing is,” he says. “There are really a lot of very entertaining people out there.”
Janzen writes much of his own material and says it was an excellent learning experience.
“You definitely get to see what you’re up against out there, and it gives you a sense of what you need to bring to the stage, especially in the area of confidence.”
The 20-year-old performer’s CD entitled Crazy, which features 12 of his original songs, will likely hit the shelves this August.
“I’m not sure if I’ll compete in Idol again next year. But it was a lot of fun and I don’t regret it at all.”
- Lori Penner - The Red River Valley Echo
Discography
Cinderella - single - radio airplay
Crazy - Debut Album - released in Sept 2008
Photos
Bio
Whether it’s the soaring message of hope in ‘Cinderella’ or the call to action in the powerfully driven rock anthem ‘Focus’ the music of Jordan Janzen packs a punch, both melodically and lyrically. In an age that screams for creativity and something ‘different’ Jordan brings his own unique brand of pop/rock to the music scene that begs us to go beyond the mediocre and to push for greater things. Having started to play at an early age, Jordan’s passion for music has only grown and is clearly evident in his songs. In 2008 Jordan made it to the top 100 of Canadian Idol, an experience which has allowed him to flourish and mature and since then he has opened for such artists as Marianas Trench, Fresh I.E., Steve Bell and Thousand Foot Krutch. Jordan’s success has also brought national recognition as he has been nominated for two Covenant Awards - best rock album of the year and best new artist of the year - a testament to his hard work and perseverance. With self-produced album ’Crazy’ under his belt, and another one in the works, Jordan Janzen, with his fresh, inviting sound has firmly planted himself in the music industry and the future couldn’t look brighter for this talented young Canadian musician.
Links
