ARTIST

Kalan Porter

Kalan Porter grew up on his family's cattle ranch in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Music was a big part of his childhood, and he showed talent early on. According to his mother, he could hum part of a lullaby when he was just 18 months old. At age eight, he began taking classical violin and viola lessons, and eventually attended the Royal Conservatory of Music. From age 10 to 14, Kalan took classical voice lessons, and at age 16, he started performing in his family's rock band. He not only sang with the band, but played the guitar, bass, and piano as well.

In 2004, when he was just 18 years old, Kalan beat out nearly 9,000 contestants to become the second Canadian Idol. Soon afterward, he released his first single, "Awake in a Dream," which became an eight-time platinum-selling hit in Canada. Later that year, Kalan helped write several of the songs for his first album, "219 Days," which went double-platinum when it was released at the end of the year. When he wasn't busy being a Canadian Idol, Kalan attended Medicine Hat College.

Written by Michele Meyer