Brock Zanrosso: A Star in the Making

A singer, actor and performer, Vancouver's Brock Zanrosso captured thousands of young girls' hearts while competing on the YTV hit series, The Next Star. His youthful voice, charm and open smile earned him a second place finish in the competition and opened the door for a career in the music industry for this 16-year-old star. With the June 1st release of his second single, Edge, Brock aims to keep steadily climbing to the top of Canada’s music scene. His openness and light humour made for a great chat when I caught up with him over the phone to talk about The Next Star and where his career is headed.

YT: Who or what influenced you to pursue a career in entertainment?
BZ: I have always seen people on TV and I always thought when I was younger, "I can do that.” But when I got a little older, 10, 11, 12, I started putting myself down and thinking that it’s just a dream - I have go to school and do what everybody else does. I never really thought of it as something that could actually happen. One day I went to try out for The Next Star, as a fluke, and I ended up getting it and it changed my whole perspective on the subject.

YT: You worked with Shawn Desman while you were on The Next Star. What was that like?
BZ: He was really easy and comfortable to work with. It was the first time that I have ever recorded, or ever written, or done anything like that. It was a nerve-racking process, but I got through it.

YT: Was there any advice that Shawn gave you?
BZ: He told me that I needed to let loose a little bit more because of the fact that I was very new at the process. So I was holding back and keeping to myself and not letting it out. By the end of the day, I was comfortable and doing all the crazy stuff in the studio.

YT: What kind of opportunities did your success on The Next Star open up for you?
BZ: Working with HipJoint music, who have been amazing. They have set me up with all the top people in the Vancouver music and entertainment industry.

YT: Who are some of your music influences?
BZ: There is a girl in the UK named Pixie Lott, who I really like, she’s very jazzy and acoustical. I love Marianas Trench. Josh Ramsay can do crazy things with his voice.

YT: How would you describe your music?
BZ: My music is very fun, something you can listen to when you want to dance around. There is the serious song that I have out that is a ballad and it shows off the vocals more; it’s called One More Last Chance. My new single, Edge, is a mix of the two.

YT: What is the story behind Edge?
BZ: The story behind Edge is that there are two people in a relationship and one of them has to leave and they are trying to make most of the last night that they have together.

YT: How much input did you have on the direction and overall sound of your singles?
BZ: Quite a lot. I didn’t write the lyrics, but with Hipjoint they let me tell them exactly what I wanted and let me show them examples from the artists that I liked. They incorporated everything that I asked for. I’m working with another music group now called Chronico. We are doing eight songs together, and for this I’m going to be writing lyrics too.

YT: What is something that makes you stand out from other teen singers?
BZ: I have youthfulness with a maturity. I always get told that I talk, look and sing older than I am, but I can also appeal to the audiences that are younger because they know that I’m going through the same high-school things that they are.

YT: Since you are currently attending high school, how do you balance school, life and work?
BZ: It’s definitely difficult; I have to miss a lot of school. I have to do phone interviews, and sometimes they’re during school and I have to get out of class to do them. As well as recording, going [to things] with my publicist or auditions [that] come up that I have to leave school to do. I have probably missed over 100 and some classes this year, but I catch up. I am almost a straight A student, so I do make sure that I have all my work done and that everything is up to par like it was last year.

YT: If you could listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
BZ: That’s a very difficult question for me, but I would probably say Masterpiece Number 3 by Marianas Trench because it is so dynamic and it’s the whole album incorporated into one song.

YT: You have also done some acting in the past. Is it safe to say that singing has taken priority over acting now?
BZ: You could say that singing has taken priority right now, because I’m so busy with it but I want to keep pursuing acting as well

YT: What can fans look forward to next from you?
BZ: My single Edge is now out and I’m working on music videos. I’ve never filmed a music video before and I am very excited about that. We are trying to push my music out to other stations and hopefully get the songs played nationwide.