Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard
He only made it to the semi-finals, but Jacob Hoggard was the breakout star of the second season of Canadian Idol. Since then, the Hedley front man from Surrey, B.C., has achieved the unlikely: an enduring career resulting from a reality TV show. Next Sunday, Hoggard will host the 44th annual Juno Awards in Hamilton, where Hedley is nominated for best record, best single and fan favourite. Here he shares some of the secrets to his success, including why a big ego can be a big asset.
The danger of the double-edged ego
Confidence can be a tricky thing in this business, because in some circumstances it is totally essential. To go out on stage and say what you think, you definitely need confidence. You also need a throbbing ego. Do you think Freddie Mercury was getting up and doing his thing on stage without an ego? It's like that for any performer who is engaging with an audience and putting on a great show – you have to think you're amazing in that moment. And then you have to let it go. For me, the second part has everything to do with spending time with the people who knew me before all of this started. I come from a great place, I have a great family. I kind of have a "no new friends" policy. Every Thursday night I'm out hanging out and playing pool with the same guys who have been my friends since I was in Grade 7. It's pretty hard to have an ego trip with them. They'll tease me, like, "Ohhhh. Did you have to sing in front of a crowd of teenage girls today? Must be tough."
Know you know nothing
The thing that I did right after I got all the exposure on Canadian Idol was that I realized that this was an opportunity that could just as easily be squandered – it could disappear as fast as it blew up. I knew I needed to be thinking about longevity and I signed on with a great management team who helped me navigate a world that I really knew almost nothing about. I went from hammering nails to performing on national TV and having this dedicated following. I had no idea. The best advice I can offer to any musician, or really anyone starting out, is to know that you don't know anything and to find people who do. I knew that I wanted to be a band guy and to separate myself from the Canadian Idol brand, but I didn't know how. One of the A&R guys suggested that we create a different live-show contract, so that they couldn't say "Canadian Idol's Jacob Hoggard" when I was playing at some bar in Moncton. That was helpful in establishing credibility with a certain crowd, but it's something I would never have known to do and it's just one small example. When you first achieve success there is the temptation to be the guy saying, "This is my show, this is how we're going to do things." Don't be that guy.
Thinking is the enemy
I grew up idolizing front men such as Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury who were forces on stage. The thing that you get from them is that they don't over think it – their stage presence and what they do out there is just what they're feeling and instinct. I try to do that, too, and if I start to feel freaked out on stage, I'll think, "What would I be doing if this were just me in my room and no one was watching?" It's about getting out of your head. After a show I might watch some tape and see what was working and what wasn't. I definitely feel as if I've evolved as a performer; it's just not something I like to spend too much time thinking about. I don't go out on the stage in tight pink short shorts as much. I can't remember the last time I played an entire show in briefs.