The television show ''
Instant Star
''Instant Star'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama television series which aired from 15 September 2004 to 26 June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as teenage singing competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experi ...
'' has produced a series of soundtracks featuring songs from the show, mostly performed by
Alexz Johnson
Alexzandra Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian musician, actress, and philanthropist. Her debut album ''Voodoo'' was independently released with her brother Brendan Johnson in 2010, followed by the demo release of ''The Basem ...
, released between 2005 and 2009.
The first two albums contain only songs sung by Johnson, but starting from ''Songs from Instant Star 3'', only four songs per album featured her vocals. It was originally planned for all the albums to be entirely performed by Johnson, but legal issues prevented her from doing this for the 3 and 4 soundtracks, as she had signed with
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
and
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
.
''Songs from Instant Star''
''Songs from Instant Star Two''
''Songs from Instant Star Two'' is the soundtrack album for the second season of the Canadian television show ''
Instant Star
''Instant Star'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama television series which aired from 15 September 2004 to 26 June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as teenage singing competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experi ...
'', entirely performed by
Alexz Johnson
Alexzandra Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian musician, actress, and philanthropist. Her debut album ''Voodoo'' was independently released with her brother Brendan Johnson in 2010, followed by the demo release of ''The Basem ...
. The album was released by the
Orange Record Label
Orange Record Label was a Canadian independent record label, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Orange recordings were distributed in Canada by Universal Music Canada, which was also a minority stakeholder in the label.
Orange is also used ...
, produced by
Matt Hyde
Matt Hyde (born June 19, 1964) is an American producer, engineer, mixer and musician. From 1982 to 1985 he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. While still at Berklee in 1984, he obtained an internship at Pyramid Recording Studio in Bost ...
and
Dave Ogilvie
Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician. The former member of bands Skinny Puppy and Jakalope started his recording career in Vancouver working as an engineer at Mushroom Studios. He has been described by ...
and executive produced by
Stephen Stohn
John Stephen Stohn (born May 8, 1948) is an American-born Canadian entertainment lawyer and television producer. He is best known for his involvement with the ''Degrassi'' teen drama franchise, particularly as an executive producer on '' Degrassi: ...
, who also is an executive producer of the television show. Background vocals are performed by
Katie B
Katie Rox is a Canadian singer-songwriter from a farm on the outskirts of Airdrie, Alberta, who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. She performed in the past under the name Katie B.
Career
Katie Rox has previously provided backup vocals for Ma ...
on most of the tracks and
Leslie Stanwyck
Universal Honey is a Canadian power pop band. The band released seven albums.
History
The group was formed in 1992 by bassist Johnny Sinclair and singer/guitarist Leslie Stanwyck, both formerly of The Pursuit of Happiness. They were joined by gu ...
on track 5. In the show, Jude Harrison's second album was titled ''Learning Curve''.
* There are many episodic arrangements, accompaniments, duets, and various edit versions of multiple season 2 songs that were not included on the soundtrack. Such as, but not limited to; "Anyone But You" featuring
Tyler Kyte
Jonathan Tyler "Ty" Kyte (born July 24, 1984) is a Canadian actor and musician. He was born in Lindsay, Ontario, and began his acting career with commercials and performing in the Musical Tommy in Toronto. Kyte was made famous amongst Canadian ...
, "Stuck In The Middle With Jude" by Johnson, and "There's Us" performed by Johnson featuring
Zoie Palmer
Zoie Palmer is a Canadian actress best known for her roles as Dr. Lauren Lewis in the Showcase supernatural drama ''Lost Girl'' and as the Android in the SyFy science fiction series ''Dark Matter''.
Early life
Palmer was born in Camborne in Cor ...
as her character Patsy, "Super Star Satellite" & "Who Am I Fooling" featuring
Nick Rose as Mason Fox who won the 2nd '' Instant Star '' competition in the show.
* A 30 second demo clip of
Damhnait Doyle
Damhnait Doyle (; born December 9, 1975) is a Canadian musician, singer and composer. A phonetic spelling of her first name (which is Irish) also serves as the title of her 2003 album. She was a member of Atlantic Canadian band Shaye from 2003â ...
's version of "Liar Liar" leaked online, along with other full length demos. Full length demos of "Overrated" and "There's Us" performed by
Jeen O'Brien were leaked online. As well as a full length demo of "There's Us" performed by recording artist Valene, and a "My Sweet Time" demo by Johnson, among others.
*"White Lines" demo performed by
Luke McMaster
Luke McMaster (born March 22, 1976) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, recording artist and producer.
McMaster experienced early success as half of the music duo McMaster & James originating from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Named after McMaster a ...
has also leaked online. Alternatively, acoustic performances of "White Lines" and "Natural Disaster" were performed by Luke McMaster during his ''Writing Sessions with Luke McMaster'' vlog posts via his social media accounts in 2017.
Singles
*''How Strong Do You Think I Am'' was released as a 3-track physical stand-alone single in Germany in 2006. It features "How Strong Do You Think I Am", "How Strong Do You Think I Am - Instrumental", and the official music video from the first season for "24 Hours".
Official Remixes
* "Liar Liar Remix" was remixed for the shows fifth and final soundtrack ''
Instant Star: Greatest Hits
* Two "My Sweet Time" Remixes leaked online in full.
Covers and Uses
* "How Strong Do You Think I Am" and "Liar Liar" performed by
Alexz Johnson
Alexzandra Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian musician, actress, and philanthropist. Her debut album ''Voodoo'' was independently released with her brother Brendan Johnson in 2010, followed by the demo release of ''The Basem ...
were featured on the compilation albums ''The Singles Club - February 2006 Vol. 1 - Prince'' & ''The Singles Club - July 2006 Vol. 5 - Jakalope'', respectively.
These compilations are available for purchase on various online outlets.
* Just before the broadcast of the second season on The N, viewers had a chance to watch Alexz Johnson in concert in a televised special called Instant Star: Backstage Pass, singing two of the songs from each season of the show and accompanied by her band from the show, Spiederman Mind Explosion. She performed "Another Thin Line" written by her brother Brendan Johnson for season 2 and her co-write "Skin" from season on.
* ''
Canadian Idol 3'' top 4 finalist
Suzi Rawn covered the song "Over-Rated" on her debut 2006 album ''Naked''.
* The
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The gr ...
covered the song "There's Us". It was featured on the European and South Korean versions of their single ''
Helpless When She Smiles
"Helpless When She Smiles" is the second single from American vocal group Backstreet Boys' sixth (fifth in the US) studio album, ''Unbreakable'', which was released on October 30, 2007. The single, produced by John Shanks, was released on Decembe ...
'' and as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their 2007 album ''
Unbreakable
Unbreakable may refer to:
* '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', a book written by Jenni Rivera
* Unbreakable (horse) (1935–1962), a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire
Film and television
* ''Unbreakable'' (film series), a trilogy directed by M ...
''.
* Canadian actor
Adamo Ruggiero
Adamo Angelo Ruggiero (born June 9, 1986) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Marco Del Rossi in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''.
Career
Ruggiero has been acting since the age of seven or eight. He has starred in many plays includ ...
as his character
Marco Del Rossi
'' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Linda Schuyler and Yan Moore. The series is now considered the first incarnation and premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001, and then ended on MTV Canada and ...
, is featured performing a karaoke version of "Anyone But You" in the episode "Free Fallin' (Part 2)"
eason 6, Episode 15of ''
Degrassi: The Next Generation'' which aired July 6, 2007.
* Dutch singers Jennifer Ewbank and her brother John Ewbank covered the song "There's Us" as a duet, that was featured on her debut 2011 album ''London Tree'' and released as a stand-alone single in 2012, accompanied by an official music video. Also in 2012, Jennifer Ewbank performed a live version of the song solo, with her brother's vocal track on the Dutch t.v. show ''Koffietijd''.
* Independent recording artist Anthony Cesar released an Electronic/Pop Rock cover of "Another Thin Line" via his official SoundCloud in 2014.
''The N Soundtrack''
Released in 2006, ''
The N Soundtrack
''The N Soundtrack'' is a soundtrack album for Noggin's teen programming block, The N. It features songs from shows that were airing at the time: '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' ( season 5), ''Beyond the Break'' (season 1), ''South of Nowhere'' ...
'' contains "24 Hours" from ''Instant Star'', and various songs from other shows that aired on
The N
The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytime l ...
and
CTV.
''Songs from Instant Star 3''
''Songs from Instant Star 3'' is the soundtrack for the third season of ''
Instant Star
''Instant Star'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama television series which aired from 15 September 2004 to 26 June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as teenage singing competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experi ...
''. In-show,
Alexz Johnson
Alexzandra Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian musician, actress, and philanthropist. Her debut album ''Voodoo'' was independently released with her brother Brendan Johnson in 2010, followed by the demo release of ''The Basem ...
appears on 10 tracks, but her contract with
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
produced legal issues that prevented Johnson of being featured in more than four songs in the album. She was replaced by other artists, including other performers, writers and producers. Tyler Kyte's character, Vincent Spiederman, records a solo single (thus far in the series), and Cory Lee's character, Karma, whom is the third '' Instant Star '' competition winner, also has a musical career in which she will be recording with limited relevance to the show/soundtrack.
Jude Harrison's third album in the show is called ''My Turn''.
Releases
In Canada, the album was officially released July 3, 2007. There was a physical copy available for purchase in stores. In the USA, the album was officially released March 11, 2008. You can purchase the album through
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, FYE music stores or
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
.
Track listing
* "Just The Beginning", "Love to Burn" (Brass/Jazz version), "Unraveling", "Worth Waiting For" and "Darkness Round The Sun" were performed by Alexz Johnson in the show as her character Jude Harrison. Finished versions of "Love to Burn (R&B Version)", "Just the Beginning", & Johnson's version of "Darkness Round the Sun" have all leaked to the web in full.
* "Darkness Round The Sun" on the soundtrack is performed by
Damhnait Doyle
Damhnait Doyle (; born December 9, 1975) is a Canadian musician, singer and composer. A phonetic spelling of her first name (which is Irish) also serves as the title of her 2003 album. She was a member of Atlantic Canadian band Shaye from 2003â ...
, who does provide the vocals in the episode, with
Zoie Palmer
Zoie Palmer is a Canadian actress best known for her roles as Dr. Lauren Lewis in the Showcase supernatural drama ''Lost Girl'' and as the Android in the SyFy science fiction series ''Dark Matter''.
Early life
Palmer was born in Camborne in Cor ...
lip-syncing as her character Patsy performs it in the show.
* "Shooting Star" is performed by Lindsay Robins as Patsy's 'polished vocals' for the recording in the episode and her version of the song is featured on the soundtrack; with
Zoie Palmer
Zoie Palmer is a Canadian actress best known for her roles as Dr. Lauren Lewis in the Showcase supernatural drama ''Lost Girl'' and as the Android in the SyFy science fiction series ''Dark Matter''.
Early life
Palmer was born in Camborne in Cor ...
performing her 'rough vocals' on the 'live version' of the song on the show as her character Patsy Sewer. In-show, ''Shooting Star'' becomes the title of Sewer's posthumous released album, after her untimely death.
* "Unraveling" and "Worth Waiting For" are performed by Tyler Kyte on the soundtrack, though he does not sing these songs in the show. "Worth Waiting For" lyrics are slightly different than Johnson's version. She sings ''"He was worth waiting for"'' and for Kyte's version on the soundtrack, he sings ''"it was worth waiting for"''.
* "I Will Be the Flame" is performed only by Cory Lee on the soundtrack and in a Mini webisode, while the song features Alexz Johnson in the show. A version featuring Johnson was released on ''
Instant Star: Greatest Hits'', although it's different from the one featured in the show.
* A R&B/Pop version of "Love To Burn" is featured on the soundtrack, sung by Cory Lee, although it was not featured in the show.
* An explicit version of "No Shoes, No Shirt" was originally posted to Cory Lee's official
MySpace and
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
accounts. The song was launched as an official music video in 2006, with
Tim Rozon
Timothy James Rozon (born June 4, 1976) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Tommy Quincy on the CTV teen drama ''Instant Star'', Mutt Schitt in the CBC comedy '' Schitt's Creek'', Doc Holliday on the supernatural/western drama ...
making a cameo. The music video is titled "No Shoes, No Shirt Version 1" and titled "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service" when it was later included on Cory Lee's sophomore album ''Sinful Innocence''. It was rerecorded and explicative lyrics were edited out to appeal to the shows general audience.
* A different version of "What You Need" was originally included on Tyler Kyte's 2006 EP ''Let's Talk''. It was rerecorded to be included on Kyte's 2008 debut solo album ''Talking Pictures''.
Singles
* ''Where Does It Hurt'' was released in various territories as a digital stand-alone single.
Covers
* During the premiere episode of ''Instant Star'' season three, titled 'Lose Yourself', four actors are shown performing Jude Harrison's single ''Waste My Time'' in various music genres. They each perform the song, competing to be the third '' Instant Star '' winner.
Four Canadian actors provide brief vocal performances. Jordin L'Abbe is credited as 'Emo-Boy', Michael Carabine credited as 'Punk', and Jeff Moulton credited as 'Sinatra Snapper'. Karma (
Cory Lee) also performs her version of the song in an R&B/Pop style, and wins the competition. As the characters perform, Jude's voiceover states:
* Solo artist Avalon covered the song "Love To Burn" on her 2012 album ''Mistakes'', released on all platforms.
''Songs from Instant Star 4''
''Songs from Instant Star 4'' is the soundtrack for the fourth and final season of
Instant Star
''Instant Star'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama television series which aired from 15 September 2004 to 26 June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as teenage singing competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experi ...
. This album was previewed many times before the release, by the leaking of a "2 A.M." demo sung by Jeen O'Brien and samples posted on
The N
The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytime l ...
official website. Jude Harrison's fourth album in the show is titled ''My Return'', it was a reworked version of her third album in the series ''My Turn'' after it was deemed over-produced and over-edited.
Track List
* On Canadian
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, the song "Here We Go Again" was initially mistitled as "Songs From Instant Star".
* "Ultraviolet", "Perfect", "Live Like Music", "The Music", "Here We Go Again" and "I Still Love You" were performed in the show by Alexz Johnson as her character Jude Harrison. "Perfect" has been released on ''
Instant Star: Greatest Hits'', while "Ultraviolet" and "I Still Love You" have leaked complete on the web. "Live Like Music" and "Here We Go Again" were featured in Mini webisodes. "The Music" is the only song sung by Alexz which does not have a full version presented to the public as of yet.
*
Katia Zuccarelli
Katia Zuccarelli (; ; born 1992), known professionally as Katia, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Zuccarelli has been featured on YTV series ''Life with Boys'', CTV's ''Instant Star'' Season 4 Soundtrack, and as a background vocalist on Selena Go ...
is featured singing the duet "Here We Go Again" with
Luke McMaster
Luke McMaster (born March 22, 1976) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, recording artist and producer.
McMaster experienced early success as half of the music duo McMaster & James originating from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Named after McMaster a ...
on the soundtrack, although this is her only association with the show.
* "I Just Wanted Your Love" is the first and final track written by Johnson since the first season of the show. It is not featured in the soundtrack, despite being featured in an episode and in a Mini webisode. Later, it was released on ''
Instant Star: Greatest Hits''. A demo version was later released by Johnson and her brother Brendan Johnson on their 2011 demo album ''The Basement Recordings''. It was also the only ''
Instant Star
''Instant Star'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama television series which aired from 15 September 2004 to 26 June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as teenage singing competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experi ...
'' song that Johnson performed live during her very first Canadian tour for her debut album ''Voodoo'' in 2010.
* "That Was Us" was not heard in the series, but was featured as a Mini webisode.
* ''Song for Amanda'' was independently released by
Kyle Riabko
Kyle Riabko (born 29 September 1987) is a Canadian musician, composer and actor from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Before starring on Broadway in both '' Spring Awakening'' and ''Hair'', Kyle released a full-length album of original music on Columb ...
as a 3 track EP on January 31, 2008. It features the title track and two of his original songs, "I Am Afraid" & "Saying Goodbye". The cover of the EP features the
Instant Star
''Instant Star'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama television series which aired from 15 September 2004 to 26 June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as teenage singing competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experi ...
logo, and reads ''"As Seen On InstantStar.com"''. Riabko announced that "Song for Amanda" was admittedly written as a 'love letter' for American actress
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress, known for her work in television and film throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Bynes began her career as a child actress, working on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' ...
, and it was an original song he later contributed to the show. Initially, Riabko petitioned his fans to try and help him get the actress to hear the song by performing an acoustic version in a video that was featured on his own website KyleRiabko.com and his site www.songforamanda.com, to promote the campaign at the time. He even offered his signed electric guitar as a prize if someone was successful. -It is unclear if the actress did in fact ever hear the song or contact him.
* Prior to the release of the fourth season, a demo version of "2 A.M." performed by Jeen O'Brien leaked online. In 2014 the duo Offset Noize & Stravy released an official remix of her demo as a free download on YourEDM.com. It was promoted as their first feature on Your EDM.
*Since the cancellation of the show, multiple demos and outtakes performed by the show's songwriters have leaked online variously throughout the years.
Covers
*On June 16, 2014, an Italian version of "2 A.M." was covered by Italian singer Alessio Santella. It was released on all streaming platforms through UAP Music under license to Pirames International Srl as a stand-alone single entitled ''Amen (2 A.M.)
over Version', accompanied by an official music video.
''Instant Star: Greatest Hits''
''Instant Star: Greatest Hits'' was released on September 22, 2009. The album has a duet version of I Will Be The Flame by Alexz and Cory from season three, due to popular demand.
The album also features the
Alexz Johnson
Alexzandra Spencer Johnson (born November 4, 1986) is a Canadian musician, actress, and philanthropist. Her debut album ''Voodoo'' was independently released with her brother Brendan Johnson in 2010, followed by the demo release of ''The Basem ...
versions of two songs from the fourth season of
Instant Star
''Instant Star'' is a Canadian musical comedy-drama television series which aired from 15 September 2004 to 26 June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as teenage singing competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experi ...
: Perfect and I Just Wanted Your Love, as well as two remixes.
Track List
* Many details about this compilation greatest hits collection have been spread throughout the show’s 4 official soundtrack’s individual Wikipedia pages.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Instant Star Soundtracks
Television soundtracks
2006 soundtrack albums
2007 soundtrack albums
2008 soundtrack albums
2009 soundtrack albums
Instant Star albums