Kalan Porter

by Chris True Born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, in November 1985, Kalan Porter first gained national attention as the winner of the second series of the reality television talent show Canadian Idol in 2004. On that show, he performed a fairly traditional rock-based set of songs, including Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild," the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black," and U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." The victory on Canadian Idol led to a single release, "Awake in a Dream," which became a multi-platinum single. November 2004 saw the release of Porter's debut album, 219 Days, which would go multi-platinum. Following a year of touring and Juno Awards nominations, Porter went on a self-imposed hiatus in order to focus on family matters. He would return in 2007 with his follow-up full-length, entitled Wake Up Living, which came out in August of that year.