When Victoria singer-songwriter Adrian Chalifour applied last year to be a participant on CTV鈥檚 reality-TV series The Launch, he had one person in mind: his two-year-old daughter, Violet.
Chalifour, 34, has much to gain if he succeeds in tonight鈥檚 broadcast of the sixth and final episode of the popular music competition, as the winner of each episode has his or her work splashed across radio and streaming sites in Canada soon after the episode airs.
But Chalifour is not nearly as concerned about emerging victorious as he is about setting an example to his daughter. 鈥淚t makes you cast a lens on yourself, because you start to think of the values you want to instil in your children, the guidance and wisdom you want to give them,鈥� Chalifour said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good way to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out if you鈥檙e actually marching to the beat of your own drum, or saying one thing and doing another.鈥�
For the past seven years, Chalifour has fronted Victoria rockers Towers and Trees, a group that has attained visibility courtesy of a top-20 finish in 91原创鈥檚 Peak Performance Project and festival appearances at Rifflandia and Rock the Shores.
His decision to join a contest with megawatt star power wasn鈥檛 easy 鈥� it鈥檚 largely a showcase for young, solo pop acts, not frontpeople for rock bands 鈥� but he had the support of his bandmates.
鈥淲ith a show like this, I鈥檓 obviously stepping outside my genre,鈥� Chalifour said. 鈥淏ut my curiosity around the art of music and the business of music is always increasing.鈥�
The Launch pairs contestants in each episode with a celebrity mentor to tackle a song written specifically for the show. The five contestants work their own take on the song, with the winner (as chosen by hosts Scott Borchetta and Quebec singer Marie-Mai and a rotating cast of producers/songwriters) recording a version that receives a cross-platform push from CTV and Bell Media.
Audiences will find out tonight if Chalifour, who signed a confidentiality agreement with the show鈥檚 producers, was successful against competitors Del Hartley, a Toronto soul singer; Michelle Treacy, an Ottawa pop artist; Sarah Carmosino, an indie-pop singer from Aurora, Ont.; and WILL, a Toronto pop-R&B musician.
There鈥檚 a lot at stake. Ain鈥檛 Easy, the breakout hit from last year鈥檚 season of The Launch, earned Elijah Woods and Jamie Fine two Juno Award nominations and cracked the top 40 on the 91原创 charts.
鈥淎t that point you win, you鈥檙e working with the Big Machine label behind you to get the most out of your song,鈥� Chalifour said of the label co-founded by Borchetta, who discovered Taylor Swift. 鈥淭hat song from Elijah Woods and Jamie Fine was such a huge hit, they are still cruising off that success.鈥�
Joining the panel of Borchetta and Marie-Mai during the series were Sarah McLachlan, Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, Arkells frontman Max Kerman and producer Ryan Tedder, among others.
Chalifour鈥檚 episode saw him work alongside Grammy Award nominee Bebe Rexha (who duetted with Florida Georgia Line on the smash hit Meant to Be) and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Nile Rodgers of Chic.
鈥淭he moment I got there, and found out the judges on my episode were Nile Rodgers and Bebe Rexha, I knew I would be out of my wheelhouse,鈥� Chalifour said with a laugh. 鈥淏ut that was my challenge. That is the neat curveball of this show, and adds to the intrigue and drama of it. It鈥檚 not just a talent contest. It鈥檚 about finding the right artist for the right song. I had to stand out so that they were able to see me singing a song I wouldn鈥檛 normally be associated with stylistically.鈥�
Victoria native Jean-Paul Maurice appeared on an episode of The Launch last year, but lost out to Woods and Fine. He received glowing feedback from Tedder, however, with the Beyonc茅 producer heaping praise on Maurice鈥檚 original song, Shapeshifter.
Chalifour had a similarly fulfilling experience, and said he won鈥檛 soon forget the time he spent in rehearsals with Rodgers and Rexha.
鈥淭hey project a real, authentic interest in learning about you as an artist, and pulling the best out of you.
鈥淭o spend time in a room with those people and hear helpful and constructive and mostly positive things has done more for me in terms of my confidence and my mojo as an artist that anything else I鈥檝e done.鈥�
As for tonight鈥檚 episode, Chalifour said he will be watching it with Violet. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lesson in there about taking risks, and betting on yourself. Thinking outside the box 鈥� that is something I believe in, and yet something I hadn鈥檛 seen myself modelling in too many intangible ways. I want to be able to say I did it, even if it didn鈥檛 work out.鈥�
