If you haven’t heard of Rebel Coast yet, you soon will – they are Canada’s new SuperGroup after all!
Members Angelo Moretti, Curtis Smith, Kyle McVea, Amer Dhaliwal and Ryan Hawken were grouped together by judge Cory Lee after auditioning for THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP. Next, they chose the name Rebel Coast and perfected their skills with the help of Cory and numerous mentors. Their hard work paid off and the guys ultimately made it to the show’s finale where they won the title of Canada’s new SuperGroup and an exclusive management deal with 21 Entertainment! The boys already have 2 singles and 2 music videos – “We Are The Brave” and “Don’t Stop Now” – under their belt and this is only the beginning!
THE MAGAZINE caught up with Rebel Coast the day after their big win to reflect on their journey and see what’s next.
Congratulations on winning THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP! How are you feeling now?
Angelo: It’s just insane. It’s hard to find the words. It’s truly amazing, just the fact that all those people were there and we got to perform as a group multiple times, not just once, and the fact that everything was live and everything sounded great. It was just a huge success I think and we’re all just really happy about it.
What was going through your mind when you were on stage during the last minutes of the finale waiting for Rebel Coast to possibly be called as the winner?
Kyle: For me, it was kind of mindboggling because it’s a huge, life changing thing. I’m still flustered.
Describe Rebel Coast’s sound.
Ryan: We’re kind of an edgier take on the typical pop boy band, but I think “We Are The Brave” is a very similar sound to Imagine Dragons. It’s an anthemy kind of sound and I really like that kind of vibe we are going for.
How have you grown since the beginning of the show?
Angelo: Personally I think just personality wise and in every aspect of performing. Nico (the choreographer) and Sarah (the vocal coach) taught me so much. I’m so appreciative of them and happy to have worked with them because they’ve enhanced my performances and I’ve grown so much from it. I’m going to take all of the advice they gave me for the rest of my life.
Do you have a personal favourite performance from your time on the show?
Kyle: I think that my favourite one would be “We Are The Brave” because we love it and the drum line just made it that much more incredible.
How did you prepare for the finale?
Curtis: Most of the preparation was done in a group. We had two weeks of rehearsals with Nico and Sarah. We didn’t have that much choreography going so it was more mentally preparing myself for what could or could not come afterwards.
What was it like recording your second music video together on stage right after your win?
Curtis: We filmed a lot of stuff throughout the day. We had cameras following us all around so it’s going to have a documentary feel to it. After the finale I think it was actually really hard to film that because we were all in shock still. It was an amazing performance but it was also a very unfocused performance because our minds were just racing!
Do you have any advice for people who are preparing to audition for the next season of THE NEXT STAR?
Amer: I think the big thing is, it’s going to sound cliché but really being yourself. Obviously you want to take everyone’s advice but you don’t want to give yourself up. You don’t want to just go into something saying you’re going to be this person but then all of a sudden flip and be someone else. I think you want to take everyone’s advice but also stick to your roots. That’s what I’ve been trying to do and I think other people should as well.
Do you have anything to say to everyone who supported you throughout your journey on THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP?
Kyle: We’d like to thank everyone who’s helped us, like our fans, our family, THE NEXT STAR, Tricon, 21 Entertainment, Electric Ave and Nico and Sarah for sure! We wouldn’t have been able to do half the stuff we did without Nico and Sarah; they have been a huge help. Also, don’t forget to check out www.rebelcoastmusic.com and check out our stuff on iTunes. Also, on Instagram and Twitter we’re just @rebelcoastmusic.
Now that you have your first two singles and two music videos under your belt, what’s next for you?
Angelo: We’re not 100% sure where we are going to go but we’re hoping 100% for more songs. We’re hoping for some tour dates too in the future. We’re going to stick together for sure and it’s going to be good.
Kyle: What we really want to do is we want to meet everyone who has supported us and we’d really like to do a tour.
Thank you and congratulations Rebel Coast!