The sixth season of YTV’s hit Canadian talent show, THE NEXT STAR, premiered in July. As the weeks went by, the contestants were narrowed down to a final group of six, who then journeyed together towards the big finale. This past Sunday, September 22, the top six – Paige Prescott, Dante Scott, Kat Moscone, Alex Zaichkowski, Alicia Moffet and Jaden Myles– were joined by special celebrity guests Cody Simpson and Eleven Past One at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, ON as they performed one last time on the show before “The Next Star” was ultimately crowned!
The 90-minute live-to-TV special kicked off with an awesome performance from the top six! They sung their group single from the show, “We Just Don’t Care.” It was a flawless performance!
Performing the first of two songs, Cody Simpson came out on THE NEXT STAR stage to a screaming crowd of fans who sang along to his song, “La Da Dee.”
Each of the top six had their time to shine as they performed their singles which they worked on over the course of the season. Each one of the top six’s singles, including the group single, is available on iTunes as part of ‘YTV’s The Next Star – Season 6’ album. There are also music videos that go along with each song, which the top six got to record over the summer in Toronto!
The first of the top six to perform individually was Paige. Her single, “Say U 2,” is about love and the crowd definitely loved her performance!
Dante’s performance of “Goodbye Gravity” was so fierce. The crowd was on their feet from start to finish. Overall, it was a smoking hot performance – literally!
Kat worked the stage like a “Lioness,” as she came out of a makeshift cage with the letters “K,” “A “and “T” engraved in each side of the cage. Kat proved that she truly is a force to be reckoned with. She had the entire crowd roaring at the end of her performance!
Taking a break from the top six performances, the show only got better when Eleven Past One performed their hit song, “The World Is Ours”! They had the crowd “riding a wave” and “chasing the sun.”
If you were watching the show, you saw the teaser trailers for the big “next star secret.” Here it is: there’s a new show coming to YTV!! Announced at the finale was the premiere of the new NEXT STAR series coming to YTV in spring 2014 – THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP. While THE NEXT STAR has focused on individual talent, THE NEXT STAR: SUPERGROUP will search for the next supergroup – think Fifth Harmony and One Direction. Even more exciting, the show brings back some previous THE NEXT STAR alumni, including season 4’s Shania Fillmore!
Alex kicked off the second batch of top six performances with his single, “All I Want,” and right away had the entire crowd in love with him! He even brought one Next Star Nation super fan named Kate on stage and serenaded her. THE NEXT STAR judge Tara Oram commented on his performance, saying, “We’ve found Canada’s Cody Simpson!”
Alicia started her performance with her back turned to the crowd, singing to the camera in a gorgeous dress. All eyes were definitely on Alicia as she pulled off the extension of her flowing dress and wowed the crowd as she sang “Better Watch Out For Me”!
Last, but definitely not least, Jaden handed out glow sticks to the enthusiastic crowd at Canada’s Wonderland and had them light up the night sky while he performed “Winners.” He got the crowd involved further towards the end of the performance and held a mini-competition to see which side of the crowd was louder.
Before the winner was announced, Cody Simpson returned to the stage to sing his recent summer single, “Pretty Brown Eyes” – a song he says he wrote for his fans. The crowd was sad to say goodbye to Cody, but was also eager to crown a new star!
Once the top six gathered on THE NEXT STAR stage for the last time, anticipation quickly built. As the crowd screamed and cheered for their favourite contestants, host Carlos Bustamante opened the card containing the winner’s name…
And “The Next Star” is…ALICIA MOFFET!
Alicia could barely finish the season six winners song – “Roar” by Katy Perry – and her fellow top six friends returned to help her close off the show.
On top of earning the title of “The Next Star,” Alicia walked away with a one-song recording deal with Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., a $5000.00 Sears shopping spree and an Epiphone Masterbilt Acoustic Guitar. CONGRATULATIONS, ALICIA!
THE MAGAZINE caught up with Cody before he hit THE NEXT STAR stage to perform. Here’s what he had to say:
You’re performing at the crazy awesome season 6 finale of THE NEXT STAR tonight. How do you get pumped up for a big and exciting performance like this?
Before I perform, I like to just relax and focus. I feel like it’s more preparation mentally than anything. I might stretch and stuff. I’m really excited to be here! Every time I come back to Toronto it’s just amazing as far as the fans go.
What advice can you give to Canadian youth who are already preparing to audition for the next season of THE NEXT STAR?
I would tell them to just go out there and try not to be nervous or shy. People really want to see you just be yourself. Be who you are, believe in your own abilities and take every opportunity that arises in front of you. It’s important to make sure that you’re always working harder than your peers and practicing more than them.
What do you think are qualities that make up “The Next Star”?
I feel like it’s very difficult to explain the qualities of a star or a singer. Sometimes when you see someone on stage, you just think, I don’t know why they are more entertaining than the other contestants, but there’s something about them you want to go and see live.
Do you have any advice for the winner at tonight’s ultimate finale?
I would tell them to always believe in the path they want to take. A lot of people will be around to give you advice and try to tell you to do this or go in this direction. Always trust your instincts. I was younger when I first started out and I had a lot of people saying, “You should be this, you should be that, you should make this kind of music” and it’s only recently that I’ve taken full creative control of everything. I would just tell them to never let anyone distract you from where you want to be and where you want to go.
Thank you, Cody! Keep your eyes out for THE MAGAZINE’s interview with the season six winner of THE NEXT STAR, Alicia!