TORONTO - A 14-year-old heartthrob in the making from Nova Scotia serenaded his way Sunday to the title of YTV's "The Next Star," a national talent competition for kids.
Dunnery Bond of Lakelands, N.S., was crowned during a live performance at Canada's Wonderland after crooning his single "Shy" to a sea of young fans.
"I think I presented myself well," the Grade 10 student said in an interview. "I just did the best that I could and I guess Canada liked the best that I could do."
He said one of the toughest aspects of the competition for him was that he was the only boy among the top six finalists.
But he called the entire process "an amazing journey."
During the summer, Dunnery and five other budding artists were mentored by a trio of Canadian music industry professionals through 13 episodes on YTV.
Each kid wrote a personal song, developed a signature look and learned the ins and outs of show business.
"Some people are just thrown into the business, but we got some lessons, we learned from a lot of important people," Dunnery said.
Adamo Ruggiero who plays Marco Del Rossi in "Degrassi: The Next Generation" hosted the show, which aimed to foster the youths' talents as opposed to pitting them against one another.
Mentors included Christopher Ward, the songwriter who penned "Black Velvet," marketing executive Steve Cranwell, and musician Suzie McNeil, who was the last woman standing in the talent search show "Rockstar: INXS."
"Dunnery, you sang your heart out on that song," Cranwell said, following the boy's performance. "And you made every Canadian dude in Canada proud of ya, you were smooth as silk, baby."
The other finalists included Christina LeClair of Brantford, Ont., Briar Gillis of Vineland, Ont., Alyssa Reid of Brampton, Ont., Maranda Jacobs of Mississauga, Ont., and Amanda Rowland of Montreal.
Fans voted online and via text message to determine the victor.
As the champ, Dunnery will record his single with Universal Music Canada to be released on YTV's Big Fun Party Mix 10 and make his own professional music video.
One problem the young musician -- who also boasts piano, guitar and trumpet skills -- said he sometimes faces is having no choice but to sing very adult-themed songs. With his single, that all changed, he said.
"This song really describes how a teenager feels, which really allows me to connect with it a lot better."
Although he's not sure where his talent will take him next, he had plenty of advice for other youths hoping to become stars.
"Don't try and imitate, don't try and follow, just be yourself and enjoy your own singing abilities," he said. "You can't really choose who you want to sound like -- you have to be yourself and you have to be unique."
