A year after Nipigon's Jory Zechner won YTV's The Next Star singing competition, she's ready to record her new album.
Zechner has written enough songs to go back into the studio as she has been attending a specialized high school music program in Napanee, Ontario. She's living with Ryland Clark, another of the top six finalists in The Next Star.
"There's no date yet but hopefully, as soon as possible I get to make another album," she said, adding Next Star producer Rob Wells is committed to record the album at Toronto's acclaimed Sony Music Studio.
Zechner's single Up To Us that she debuted on the show's finale a year ago Monday has nearly 90,000 views on YouTube but she wants to remake her name on the first album she will have recorded since before the competition.
"I don't want to be 'Jory Zechner from The Next Star' forever. I want to be Jory. I want to make my new stuff separated from that," she said.
"Not that I don't want people to know me from The Next Star but I want to be different from before."
Zechner is changing more than just her image in her new songs. Through exploring songwriting out of her comfort zone on piano and guitar, she has 10 new songs ready and some 50 more that are close to completion.
"I really want this next album to have a slight rock influence," she said, comparing her new direction to teen sensation Bea Miller.
"I think it's something that lots of people can listen to. Not everybody likes super-pop, bubble gum but not everybody likes hard rock so it's a mixture of both that's super unique."
Although she doesn't have a record contract or a music agent at the moment, The Next Star landed her an acting agent. She's excited about the direction that might take.
"I love acting. It's my new-found hobby. I never knew that acting would be something I'd like. I've got callbacks but nothing has come out of it yet. I'm going to keep going."
