fter beating out a whopping 8,977 competitors across the country to become the next Canadian Idol, Kalan Porter is riding a rollercoaster to pop stardom.

  Although the blue-eyed seraphim inked a record deal with BMG Canada, he still can't believe his dream is being realized. "I'm not sure I'm prepared," laughs Porter during an interview in Toronto. "You dream of this your whole life and suddenly
it's all coming true and you're like, 'Ahh! Is this how I want it to all unfold?'"

  He's come a long way since performing in small restaurants and coffee shops in his hometown of Medicine Hat, Alta., with a Partridge Family-style band consisting of his sisters and cousins. It's no wonder Porter feels a little out of his element in the big city.

  Adding to the pressure, Porter had to bounce back from the criticism he endured in front of millions on Idol. "It's never easy to take criticism," says Porter. "But it's part of the learning process and in the music industry you have to learn to develop thick skin. You just have to take the good comments and the bad comments and sort of level them off and go somewhere in the middle."

  With that in mind, the shy 18-year-old admits the grueling Idol competition is what prepared him to jump-start his career. "Going through that process, and the high stress, you learn a lot about yourself and my confidence has gone up," he says. "Also, meeting all the other Idols and seeing what they're doing really opened up my mind to other stuff and how to grow as an artist."

  Even before the Canadian Idol competition, Porter always planned to pursue a career in music. Since he was eight years old, Porter has spent most of his years playing the violin, viola, rhythm guitar and piano. "I've had a lot of training in classical music," says Porter. "So I have an influence from that. But I also like a lot of different music, like Radiohead and the Beatles. I try to listen to all kinds of music and take from each thing."

  His current single "Awake in a Dream" is just a taste of what fans can expect from Porter's new album, 219 Days. "I'm just going to see where things take me and make good music," he says. "I would eventually like to write my own stuff."

  Now in the spotlight, with screaming fans in tow, Porter has no place to hide. And with a tour schedule on the way, which he admits is "a little scary, but exciting," it's certain Porter won't be getting off this furious ride anytime soon!

- Tom Innes