1. So When did you start acting and singing?
A: Acting was a little bit before singing. I actually booked my first job last May, early May. So I went to auditions starting last year, like October/November ish kind of time. And then I ended up booking a job around May. And then singing, I went to an audition for The Next Star. I’ve never sung in front of people before that, and then I went to the audition and sang there. And yeah that’s when I started singing.
2. Were you a fan of the show before auditioning?
A: Yeah I had watched the first season and I was just thinking to myself when I watched it like “I can do that” so then I did it and I went. And then I went and I did the audition.
3. How did you hear about the auditions for the Next Star?
A: Well, I watched the first season right, so I kind of was looking online and seeing when they were going to be settled and stuff like that, because I knew it was going to be my last chance to go, because the year after I’d be too old. So I was definitely looking it up.
4. How was the audition process?
A: Time consuming. It took a long time, but it was fun. It was an experience in itself, just the audition part of it. And I had a good time. I was there from 5am to 2pm so it was pretty long and then I had to go back the second day. And it’s a lot of rounds but people don’t see it on TV, the craziness of it, but it was fun though.
5. What was the best advice that you got from the judges?
A: I think probably...Suzie. Well it was never shown on the show, but after I left the stage and after the show was done at the finale, Suzie came up to me and she said “you know you’ve just got to keep pushing with what you have because people forget about you really fast if you don’t,” so she kind of just gave me advice to keep going and keep pursuing what you want to do or else you’re going to lose your chance. So I think that was the best advice that she could give me.
6. What was your favourite song to perform on the show?A: I really liked performing “For the Nights I Can’t Remember,” and of course my own song as well. But yeah out of the covers I did, I really liked “For the Nights I Can’t Remember.” It was the best, it was really fun and it was kind of a challenge for me as well. So it was fun to do my own take on it.
7. What was the hardest part about being on the show?
A: The hardest part was probably the hours. I mean, it was every day, 10-12 hours a day. We sometimes got weekends off and we sometimes had to do the extra, or like 6 days a week. And then we finally got one week off in august, but it was pretty crazy, the schedule was really hectic. But it was fun, because we hung out a lot of the time, and there was a lot of waiting, but it was still really fun. We got to know each other and everybody’s really good.
8. What was it like working with Shawn Desman on your first single “One More First Chance”
A: It was really good! He made it really comfortable for me because I’d never been in a studio or anything and I’ve never written a song, so he helped me with that and then we went in the studio and just sang. I was pretty nervous in the beginning but it ended up working out, so it was all good.
9. How has your life changed since being on the Next Star?
A: I was actually just talking about this with my mom a little while ago. It’s changed a lot. Because now it seems kind of normal that I just have to get up and I have to go to an audition or the recording studio or something like that. But if I think about it from my shoes last year, I would have never thought I’d be doing anything like this. Because I wasn’t anywhere near that. And because of the Next Star, it gave me the opportunity to be able to do all this stuff, that not everybody can do. So yeah, it’s definitely changed a lot. I’m really busy!
10. What is it like when people recognize you?
A: That’s always fun. It’s kind of awkward for them...because I’ll just be like “hey!” and then that person would be like “yeah?” and they’ll be like “okay...” and I’ll try to start up a conversation or something because then it gets kind of weird, but some of them just walk away after they ask me. I think they’re a little bit shy or something because yeah, it’s interesting though, it’s fun always. Then they ask for a picture or something like that.
11. Any crazy fan encounters yet?
A: A couple of them chased my car once. And I went out for dinner and they waited outside by my car for me because they wanted a hug. But...it’s all good.
12. How do you stay grounded in such a crazy industry?
A: It’s pretty easy. I still go to school and stuff and I still see all my best friends and stuff like that. It is a different life but I’m still doing things I was doing last year and the year before that. And I’m still going to school and being able to hang out with friends and stuff like that. But I mean there are aspects of my life that have changed but I have those people around me that can keep me grounded in that sense.
13. So, you just had a show on May 29th, opening for Suzie McNeil, how was that?
A: It was really fun to be able to see her again. Because I hadn’t seen her for, what, like 8 months or something like that, so yeah it was nice to see her and talk to her about the show this year, the kids they’re seeing and stuff like that. And you know, being able to get an inside scoop on the new season and stuff like that. I also got to see Adamo, the host of the show and got to see some of the crew that I worked with last year, like every day 12 hours a day. So it was nice to be able to see everybody again and it was also nice to be able to do a performance for an established artist. Because I’d never opened for anybody before so that was my first real opener.
14. How would you describe your live shows?
A: That one was very acoustic; I just did a two song acoustic set, but actually a couple days ago I went to Langley and I performed with back up dancers and everything and it was really fun because I got to learn choreography and stuff like that and I performed. It just brought a whole new aspect to the show. Like when I was just singing just on stage, there were a couple people watching and then by the time I brought the dancers out, it was a whole new show. People started crowding around and started watching it more. It was more like a festival sort of thing so they could go to different places and different events. But yeah I really like doing the whole back up dancer thing because it just brings so much more to a show.
15. You’ve also put time into helping charities such as for cancer research; why do you feel that it is important for teens to get involved?
A: I think cancer is something that affects everybody. I’m sure that if you ask anybody if they’ve been affected by cancer, pretty much everyone says yes. I think that anybody should get involved, not only teens, not only adults, I think anybody should try and do all that they can to try to help because it’s hard for people. Nobody should have to go through that. I work with a lot of child cancer, and I feel like that is one of the worst things to happen to someone, to get that at such a young age and have to go through that. But yeah I definitely think it is very important to help.
16. Who is your musical inspiration and why?
A: That’s always a hard question because it kind of changes like every three days. But yeah I think if I have to say someone, I like to keep it Canadian. So I’d say Josh Ramsey because I think his vocals are pretty top notch on songs and he does some crazy stuff with his voice. And if you ever listen to his song called Masterpiece, you’d agree. He does so much and does some crazy stuff; he mixes and does quadruple harmonies and I really like how he does his stuff.
17. So your single Edge is coming out very soon, are you excited about it? And could you tell us a little bit about it and the process of producing it?
A: The vocals on it are kind of soft sort of phrasing and then the background music is very up tempo and upbeat. I really like the song. I worked with Hip Joint on it, which is a Vancouver based production company who works with Shiloh and Kreesha Turner. And yeah they did a really good job with it, I’m so happy that I got to work on it with them. It turned out really well. And I’m doing a music video for it on June 2, so I’ll be shooting all day from 4am in the morn to 12 am at night, so it’s going to be a crazy day. But I’m shooting that Wednesday and I’m pretty excited to do that because I’ve never shot a music video before. So I’m definitely pumped.
P.S. Check out some of my friends who are in this video! Go Vancity dancers![Sonny Claveria, Scott Forsyth, Jane Marlinga]
18. If you could work with anyone in the music industry, who would you choose and why?
A: That’s also another tough one. I guess I’d probably say him [Josh Ramsey] too. I’ve met him a couple times, he was on the show too and I’ve met him on Granville Street. He was a cool guy and I would love to sing on one of his tracks or something like that.
19. This is probably a tough question, but, which do you prefer, acting or singing?
A: I think singing a little bit more, just because right now it’s what I’m most focused on. But I really do like acting, I really like TV. It’s fun, the scripts are always witty and especially for comedy, the scripts are always really fun and upbeat. I love to do those kinds of things. But I also really like acting, for the drama sense of it, because if it’s something solemn, it’s fun to do that, to show a different side. But yeah right now I’m more focused on singing, so I’d have to say singing over acting at the moment. But they’re both really fun.
20. What advice do you have for other teens out there that have dreams of making it big in the entertainment industry?
A: I almost gave up. I didn’t really believe in myself at all and I kind of was like “Well I’m going to this next audition and nothing is going to happen and I’m going to go home and...” and I had this preconceived notion that it wasn’t going to happen for me. So I sort of gave up on it. I used to really think I could, like when I was around age 11, and I really wanted to have this life that I have now, so it’s kind of crazy that it happened. So if I had to give advice, I’d say don’t give up because you never know what can happen. And just keep pushing at it no matter what people say because this was crazy for me and it happened, so it might happen for them as well.
21. Finally, where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years?
A: To be still around in the music industry and have longevity is a goal of mine. To be able to stay around and not just be that guy who is on the music scene for a year or so and gets really big and then goes away. I don’t want that to happen so I would love to keep going at it. And that’s a goal of mine so five years from now I’d love to still be around the music scene.
Be sure to check out his youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/brockzan & facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Brock-Zanrosso/148852345755?ref=ts & his official website: http://brockzanrosso.com/
He's on the path to stardom and will hit the world by storm with his fantastic vocals and his passion and determination for singing and acting!
Here's one of my favourite covers that he did:
Thanks Brock!
-Christinaaaa
