Theo Tams (born 12 July 1985) is a Canadian singer and the winner of the sixth season of the CTV reality show ''

Canadian Idol ''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show ''Pop Idol''. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore ...

''. His debut album, '' Give It All Away'', was released on 19 May 2009 by Sony Music Canada.

Early life

Tams grew up in Coaldale, Alberta, and he attended Immanuel Christian High School in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

. Tams played trumpet in high school, and is self-taught on piano. Before ''Idol'', he was a student at the University of Lethbridge, studying classical music and psychology. He is taking a leave from his studies to pursue a music career. Tams released the EP ''Unexpected'' in 2005.

''Canadian Idol''

At his audition for ''Canadian Idol'' in February 2008, Tams drew laughs from the judges as he demonstrated evidence of his anxiety-related perspiration, having soaked through his shirt. Tams most often performed while playing piano. His performances included "Apologize" by

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...

, "Collide" by Howie Day,Strachan, Alex.
Another Canadian idol winds down, but there's some spring in it yet
", ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'', 8 September 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-13. Bob Marley's " No Woman, No Cry",Angus, Kat.
Alberta's newest Idol still 'a small-town boy'
", ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'', 12 September 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-13. and Jann Arden's "Good Mother". ''Idol'' judge

Zack Werner Isaac "Zack" Werner is a Canadian artist, producer, entertainment lawyer and manager. Early life and education Born in Winnipeg in 1960, Werner attended the St. John's-Ravenscourt School. He received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and ...

described Tams' performance of Bryan Adams' "

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

" as "one of the top two or three performances in the history of the show." He won ''Canadian Idol'' on 10 September 2008, after singing three songs on the final performance show that included "

Sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

" (released to radio and digital download on 11 September 2008), which was the winner's single chosen for him. The runner-up, Nova Scotia carpenter

Mitch MacDonald Mitch MacDonald (born October 22, 1985) is a Canadian singer who was runner-up in season 6 of the reality series ''Canadian Idol''. Early life MacDonald is from Port Hood, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island. He grew up in a family of seven sibli ...

, performed a different song as his own potential winner's single, the first time this has been done on ''Canadian Idol''. Although the ''Idol'' winner's first album usually is released about two months after the show's finale, Tams had much longer to prepare his. Tams said he appreciated the longer time, and hoped to have some songs he wrote himself included on the album.

Performances and results

Post-''Idol''

Tams moved to Toronto to work on collaborations for his debut album. Tams toured Canada along with runner-up

and third-place finisher

Drew Wright Drew Edward Wright (born October 5, 1979) is a Canadian singer and musician, best known as a top three finalist on the sixth season of ''Canadian Idol''. Early life Wright played in the band while a student at Admiral Collingwood Public School ...

in November–December 2008.

Career

''Christmas Dream'' (2008)

Tams released the single "Christmas Dream", a song he cowrote 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 ...

Simon Wilcox Simon Wilcox is a Canadian songwriter based in Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the ...

and Greg Johnston. The B-side of the single is a cover of " Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", and all proceeds are being donated to the charity Free the Children. It peaked at No. 69 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

. Tams also performed with Eva Avila and

David Archuleta David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...

for Toronto's CHUM FM's annual Christmas Wish Breakfast.

''Give It All Away'' (2009–2010)

On 17 March 2009, his first single from his album was released, "Lazy Lovers", written by Tams, Hawksley Workman, and Greg Johnston. His debut album, '' Give It All Away'', was released on 19 May 2009. It features seven songs he co-wrote, which is more than any previous "Idol". Writing collaborators on the album include

, Hawksley Workman,

Sarah Slean Sarah Hope Slean (born June 21, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer and musician. She has released eleven albums to date (including EPs and live albums). She is also a poet, visual artist, and occasional actress. Career Major recordi ...

, and Damhnait Doyle. A cross-Canada tour is planned for September. Tams released a charity Christmas single alongside Ali Slaight called "

Do You Hear What I Hear "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a song written in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne. The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record ...

." This song went to No. 1 on the Canadian AC Chart. Tams's next single is "Manhattan Blue." The music video for the song was released 28 May 2010. The video features So You Think You Can Dance Canada second season winner Tara-Jean Popowich and Vincent Desjardins. The video premiered on ET Canada on 17 June 2010. In April 2010, Theo Tams sought out a new management and business team to handle his career, a move that has already demonstrated a renewed energy and strategic direction for Theo as he moves to the next level and his all important 'sophomore' album that will create a clear distinction between the 'Idol' and the long-term 'career-artist'. Tams headlined a 15 date cross-Canada tour with special guests StereoGoesStellar, which started 7 August 2010 and met with much critical acclaim as he toured smaller more intimate venues playing in an up close and personal presentation of his songs solo on piano.

Second studio album (2011–present)

Tams explains that his second album, which will be released in 2011 will be a real "artist" album in so far as it will showcase just exactly who he is and what he stands for as a singer-songwriter. It will dig deeper emotionally than his debut album and represent almost a "song diary" that comes from a mixture of his life experiences since "Give It All Away" and from other parts of his life before his Idol experience. One of his new songs focuses on his experience in Afghanistan. Theo has already begun the intense writing process with one of his heroes, who will also be producing the record. It is expected that the project will be formally announced towards the end of January 2011 and the production team named. On 28 September, his 3rd EP "Call The Doctor" was released under Hidden Pony records. What many critics are calling the "record of his career", Tams clearly has developed his sound and yells intimate stories of the ups and downs of relationships, coming out to his Christian family, and finally being able to let go of a painful previous relationship.

Personal life

Tams came out as gay during the show's run by referring to a male partner during one of his post-performance interviews. This made him the first openly gay performer to win an ''Idol'' series in North America. He subsequently endorsed Adam Lambert in the 2009 edition of '' American Idol'', and included two gay couples, one male and one female, in the video for his single "Lazy Lovers" Theo is also a fan of Ellen DeGeneres, and wants to be on her show. He also admires Mother Teresa and her work. On 28 June 2010, Tams took a trip to Afghanistan to perform for the Canadian troops on Canada Day. This was an opportunity for him to visit Canadian and allied troops not only on the base in Kandahar but he travelled by Blackhawk outside of the wire to meet with and hear the stories of the front-line troops. On 14 July, he told Canada AM that it was "the most surreal experiences I've ever had."

Discography

Albums

*'' Give It All Away'' (2009) *''

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'' (2014) *''

Call The Doctor ''Call the Doctor'' is the second studio album by the American punk rock band Sleater-Kinney. It was released on March 25, 1996, by Chainsaw Records to critical acclaim. Recording and release ''Call the Doctor'' was written in three weeks and ...

'' (2018) *''Trilogy 1'' (2021)

Singles

* "Sing" (2008) * "Christmas Dream" (2008) * "Lazy Lovers" (2009) * "Wait for You" (2009) * "Do You Hear What I Hear?" duet w/ Ali Slaight (2009) * "Manhattan Blue" (2010) * "2000 Miles" duet w/ Ali Slaight (2011) * "When You're Not Around" (2014) * "Stay" (2014) * "Back Pocket" (2015) * "Strangers" (2018) *”Weeds” (2018) * *”Therapy” (2020) *”Gasoline” (2021) *”Fixable” (2021) *"Jekyll Hyde Love' (2021) *”The Feeling (Hate 2 Love)” (2021)

Awards and nominations

Tours

* 2008: ''Canadian Idols LIVE! Tour 2008'' * 2009: ''Give It All Away Tour'' * 2010: ''Taking It All Back Tour : 2010" w/sg StereoGoesStellar

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tams, Theo Canadian Idol winners Canadian keyboardists Canadian pop pianists 1985 births Living people Musicians from Alberta People from Lethbridge Canadian LGBT singers Canadian gay musicians Canadian male pianists 21st-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian male singers Canadian pop singers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people