Laura Cortens proudly displays her High School Idol VIP pass, along with her favorite guitar.

The next big name we see on the top 10 music charts could be Dryden resident Laura Cortens.  Having been singing her whole life, she took 1st place at the Thunder Bay High School Idol competition.

Cortens competed last year and was pleased to find she won third place.  This year, while competing against approximately 20 other contestants in the 8th annual competition, she jumped two spots to take 1st.

Performing Big White Gate, by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Cortens performed in the Open Class 1, with her brother Andrew accompanying her on guitar.  Brother and sister have been practicing this song together for some time, and obviously had it perfected by competition time.

Although Cortens does not yet know what her prize will be, as they are to be sent out in the mail, she is very excited about her accomplishment.  After singing locally for many years, including the recent Kickin’ Country concert and the upcoming Relay for Life, Cortens loves any chance to be on stage. Although Cortens admitted to being nervous, stage fright is not a factor for this young talent.

“I love it on stage, it’s my favorite place to be.  Hopefully I can do it for a living one day”, confesses Cortens.

Friends and family traveled to Thunder Bay as her support team, and were cheering her on when it came to judging time.  With one male and one female judge, Cortens says they were very supportive judges and gave a lot of good advice on how the contestants can improve.

Night one consisted of singing a two minute intro, with the judges giving feedback and picking the finalists. The second night, after a full performance, the judges picked the winners.

“It was a lot different than just performing because you’re competing against all these other people who want the same thing you do.  It’s a totally different feeling than just going out there and singing a song for peoples enjoyment” says Cortens.

With very little formal training, 17 year old Cortens hopes to see herself on tour with a singing career in the future.  She will be attending Harverside Institute in Vancouver next year, for a nine month course in audio engineering.  She will be working in a recording studio as part of her education, and plans on pursuing some formal singing lessons while in the big city.

With the pride and support of her parents, Cortens continues to compete in the area.  Although unable to compete again in High School Idol, as she is in her graduating year, Cortens has some upcoming plans for another competition in Thunder Bay.

“We’re very proud, she’s always loved to sing since she was little,” says her mom, Wendy Cortens.  “We love to listen to her.  I’m her biggest fan.”

- Ally Dunham