The Ones That Got Away!

“THE ONE’s THAT GOT AWAY“!

Some time ago I ran a series of short sidebar weekly articles entitled “The One That Got Away”. Due to the popularity of that series and a few request for repeats, I have decided to include them in this weeks special post.  I hope you enjoy this special publication which will now be archived for your convenience.

While this blog is dedicated to featuring unsigned artists we also like to keep you informed about the young artists/idols who have recently come to international fame. When a young artist explodes to stardom before I have an opportunity to introduce them, I sometimes almost feel cheated. What I mean is, youngsters like Greyson Chance who appeared on the Ellen show the very day that I wrote to him about a special article. Or Cody Simpson who exploded so fast that I could not have caught him on a skateboard. Of course while disappointed that I never had the opportunity to do a personal introductory feature article for these boys before the magic of fame called I am honored to support them in their continual successes.

BEFORE THE BLOG:

When I think of treble singers my mind begins to run long before I started this blog! Young artists like Billy Gilman who captured the heart of America with his beautiful song “One Voice”. And of course Joseph McManners who sang like an angel and in fact still has a range that exceeds most singers abilities today at his age.

But the one I want to give tribute to today has matured well beyond the treble stage but still sings with such wonder that I just can’t help but be moved by the expression in his vocals. To say I am deeply moved would not be stretching the truth. This young man is none other than Declan Gelbraith! I first heard Declan singing his song “Tell Me Why” on the Des O’Connor talk show and he blew me away with his performance. He was backed up by a children’s choir and the song had such deep meaning that I had a hard time not becoming emotional. I am a person who enjoys music but music with a message like Declan’s song demonstrated that this young artist was not just a good singer he had something to say!

Following his career has been a real pleasure and collecting his CD’s has brought me many hours of listening pleasure. The greatest joy has been watching Declan transition from a young treble to a true troubadour with a deeper, richer, fuller, and even greater ability to not only sing a song but bring a whole new dimension to songs like, Angel, White Satan, and House of the Rising Sun. Declan has shown other young artists that they only need to sing what they feel and we will feel it with them.

Declan Gelbraith has been an inspiration to many other youngsters who now sing songs with a true message.

There is no way to go back in time and capture Declan’s transition from a boy to a young man. However, I would be terribly remiss if I did not pay tribute to this boy from a small English town called Hoo near Rochester, Kent.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn51LxzSHf0

If you would like to hear what Declan sounds like today you can visit his
[button_icon icon=”lightning” url=”http://soundcloud.com/dgalbraith”] Sound Cloud [/button_icon]
to hear his new music!

I’m sorry that I did not start this Blog 4 years ago Declan but please know that your talent is enjoyed by me personally and that is the reason that we pay tribute to you today in this little corner of the web as

ONE THAT GOT AWAY”.

What can I say, this article would not be complete if I did not give recognition to the biggest name on the teen idol scene.
I have been a Tuber longer than I can remember. Like many others, I found Justin Bieber singing there long before he gained international fame and stardom. While he would not remember, due to the fact I had not yet started my blog site, I wrote to him on a number of occasions telling him how much I enjoyed his music. I would leave positive words of praise and encouragement, not unlike what I still give dozens of other youngsters who are trying to make their way into the music industry.

My favorite song of Justin’s yet today is his cover of the Chris Brown song “With You” which now has over 26 Million Views! I guess it’s not hard to believe since his raw talent really shown through on this video and the image of Tupac on one wall and Bart Simpson on the other still makes me chuckle every-time I think of it!

I remember videos of him singing in the bathroom for special acoustic effects just hoping to get the right sound. Wow how far this young man has come in just a few short years!

What I like about Justin Bieber is that he is real. I think there was a period of time where all this became a bit too much for him to handle and fame swept him away for a bit but it seems clear that he has now settled down and has both feet clearly planted on the ground and seems to know what he wants for his future.

Watching him recently on The Ellen Degeneres show gave me a clear sense that Justin Bieber had finally arrived not just as a teen heartthrob any longer but as a real artist who has a future in this industry.

Not unlike others who have gone before him, Justin Bieber has his share of haters who seem to fill his YouTube Channel with their filth and disrespectful remarks. My mother always told me that; “If I didn’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all”. I believe in corrective criticism and if you ask the young artists that grace my page, they will tell you that I have rendered some to them. But just being hurtful and obscene has no place on any young artists page and only makes the author of those statements look bad. It really doesn’t matter, because for every hater Justin Bieber has, there are 100 more adoring fans who simply love him, if not for his singing, his good looks, charm and of course his hair!

Most of what I remember is now just a shadow, as the young boy from a small town has now grown to a musical icon who WILL NOT soon fade away! Yes, like other who have lived the life of a Teen Idol, some of this what has been labeld “Bieber Fever” will eventually die down and Justin will get married having little Bieber’s of his own. But I’m going to make a long range prediction that Justin Bieber will still be making music years from now and this little mop haired boy will become a very strong influence in the adult music Industry.

Justin, because of your perseverance, passion, love, and dedication to music, along with your dreams of achieving your goals as a musical artist saying Never say Never! I salute you and dedicate this little portion of the blog to you as

ONE THAT GOT AWAY”.

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I’m not really sure how it was that I first ran across Cody Simpson. Perhaps it was while surfing YouTube as I often do! What I do remember however, is that he was singing one of Bon Jovi’s songs entitled “Wanted Dead or Alive”. I was really taken back with this talented young curly blond haired boy who not only played skilfully, but showed real promise with his vocals! Wow! How far this youngster has come in such a short time! I remember making a few encouraging comments like hundreds of others but not inviting him for an article at the time, which now I deeply regret! Hardly before I had an opportunity to write a couple months of features, I visited his site again to see him singing his own original song “One”, which looked and sounded very professionally done. What Happened?, I said to myself! From out of obscurity another young Aussie had taken off like a rocket ship on a one way course to Fame Planet!
Cody Simpson has quickly become the Gold Coast’s golden boy. And to Atlantic Records he is Gold! Cody has everything that a young pop star needs to be successful. He has the looks, the charm, the smile, the talent not only with his vocals but to accompany himself on his guitar singing in perfect pitch with great feeling and emotion.
Australia seems to have more than its share of young talented male pop idols being simultaneously born into fame. However, each one of them has their own style bringing acting and singing ability to a whole new level for one so young.
I for one enjoy Cody’s music. While it seems tempting to compare every young teen boy singer to Justin Bieber there is no comparison here. Cody stands alone! His ability to convey himself through his songs and videos along with the professional team he now has supporting him will continue to make him successful. Now and into the future! His latest EP proves this ten times over!

Cody Simpson, who is now happily signed and making new music on a regular basis is just one more that slipped through my blogging fingers. But in my defense I would have needed jet fuel to catch up to his rocket and my single prop talent scout plane just could not keep up!

Congratulations Cody Simpson! You were just too fast to fame and all I can say is IYIYI.  You too are added to my collection of

ONE THAT GOT AWAY”.

Troy Sivan got his big break when he was noticed on YouTube singing cover songs of some well known artists. However, one particularity good acapella song by Declan Galbraith entitled “Tell Me Why” and his appearance on a televised telethon set even larger wheels in motion when he was noticed by some very influential producers of young aspiring actors and singers.

I believe that Troy’s initial interest was to be recognized for his singing talent which he more than demonstrated by is national television appearances. However, due to his outstanding camera presence and natural ability to display a bold yet gentle presence in front of an audience, he soon found himself looking at a Movie Career!

I will never forget the evening I was searching the internet about an upcoming movie called “Wolverine”. Having seen all the other X-Men movies that led up to this one I wanted to see who would be playing the role of the young Wolverine. After sifting through several confusing articles naming another boy then saying he had taken a different film offer I stumbled

on an article naming Troye Sivan as the new choice for the role. I immediately wrote a letter to Troy via YouTube congratulating him on his new film offer, for which he replied with a cordial thanks and a bit taken back that it was already known, as he had not yet announced it to anyone via his channel! Soon after that it was being talked about internationally on major networks and Troy Sivan had become a household name. I for one was very excited for him and naturally went to the film the opening night of it’s release.

This past year, Troy performed in his first lead role in a motion picture entitled “Spud”, as lead character, 13 year old John Milton. While this movie has not yet been released in the US, I’m still hoping this occurs, as I’m sure many would like to view Troy in his first major role. If someone has additional information about this film’s DVD release or a US release please contact me so I can update this article.

Troye Sivan is not only a tremendous singer and actor, he is also a wonderful young man with a terrific personality. I know that the industry often has a way of changing a person but Troye has remained true to himself and to the people around him. I for one am not only impressed with the talent of this young artist but I admire him for being an example of how a person should act towards others when Fame Strikes!

Thanks Troye for not only entertaining us over the past several years but for your unchanging character and example to every aspiring young singer actor who graces this site! I am thrilled about your success but like many others you too are:

“ ONE THAT GOT AWAY“!