Did you catch last night’s season premiere of CTV’s The Launch? The Launch is a six-part Canadian TV music television series which features a new format where a group of unsigned upcoming musicians try to create a new original song mentored by a panel of internationally renowned artists. The programme is a partnership between Scott Borchetta (Taylor Swift), the President and CEO of Big Machine Records Label Group and Paul Franklin, executive producer of MasterChef and The Biggest Loser of Eureka Productions. Insight Productions, producers of Canadian Idol and The Juno Awards, is the production company with John Brunton and Lindsay Cox as executive producers. The programme is broadcast on the Canadian CTV network.
In each episode of the Canadian series, five upcoming singers perform a rendition of a new tune penned by a songwriter. The four mentors then pick two finalists to work with a renowned producer and perform the song again, with the winner becoming the official singer of the track within 48 hours. The songs launched are through Bell Media, Inc. & Big Machine Label Group.
Last night’s debut episode introduced us to 29-year-old Logan Staats from Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario (south of Brantford) and Vivian Hicks, a 14-year old phenom from Georgetown, Ontario. They were chosen from a group of talented artists including Toronto’s The Revel Boys, King City, Ontario’s Julia Tomlinson and Edmonton, Alberta’s Havelin.
The song chosen for recording by Staats and Hicks was The Lucky Ones. Staats ended up winning last night and his version of The Lucky Ones launched immediately after the show and topped Canadian charts!
The advisers in the first episode were Shania Twain (as main mentor) with Scott Borchetta and busbee.
The list of mentors for this season of The Launch are as follows:
Shania Twain
Fergie (of The Black Eyed Peas)
Ryan Tedder (of OneRepublic)
Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland)
Boy George (of Culture Club)
Alessia Cara
Nikki Sixx (of Mötley Crüe)
Julia Michaels.
Producers:
Stephan Moccio
Ian Kirkpatrick
Dann Huff
busbee (songwriter)
You can catch The Launch Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CTV. The Launch is back next Wednesday on CTV with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder and Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles mentoring a whole new crop of Canadian singers.
The following are two photo galleries of Logan Staats captured by Music Life Magazine photographer Paul Barrie. They are from two shows back in 2015.
All photos by Paul Barrie
©2018. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
Sanderson Centre For The Performing Arts (opening for Buffy Sainte-Marie)
Brantford, Ontario
July 31, 2015
Arts Block Stage – In support of H.O.P.E. (Helping Ourselves through Peer Support & Employment)
Brantford, Ontario
September 11, 2015
