Kellie Loder was scrolling through social media during the pandemic when they saw a post from an artist friend asking if she should apply to Canada’s Got Talent.
Kellie’s own music career was on pause along with the rest of the entertainment industry, and they had gone back to school to become a carpenter.
“I should send in a video,” Kellie thought. “Why not?”
It was 2022.
Not long after, Kellie was filming and performing on the show.
Before the semifinals, they took a leap of faith and booked the Holy Heart Theatre in St. John’s.
“I had never played it before but always dreamt of it,” Kellie said.
They remember thinking no matter what happened in the finale, they would return to Newfoundland and perform there.
It sold out.
And Kellie was the runner up on Got Talent that year.
“I became a bit of a household name in the east coast,” they said.
Taking advantage of massive reach
It’s been 25 years since Pop Idol debuted in the U.K., launching the Idol franchise and a successive series of similar TV talent shows such as X Factor, Got Talent and The Voice.
Contrary to popular belief, the shows don’t just passively wait for the next big thing to show up on their doorsteps; they actively scout acts to appear – sometimes going after accomplished folk/roots and world music artists, such as Jason Isbell, who balked at the offer.
But where once some critics bemoaned the replacement of old-fashioned artist development with showcases for “karaoke singers,” as one critic put it, a growing number of established acts, including Canada’s the Reklaws, have auditioned for the shows, taking advantage of their massive reach, particularly online.
For Kellie, appearing on Canada’s Got Talent reignited their music career.
The show’s exposure helped Kellie return home with more fans.
Even four years later, Kellie’s friends will introduce them as someone from the show.
“I don’t lead with that but it always makes people excited when others do,” she said.
That association can stick.
“You don’t always want to be recognized as the person who was on that show years later,” said Kellie. “But, I mean, Jennifer Anniston will always be Rachel Green right?”
The ‘reason I am working really cool jobs’
For Stacey Kay, another performer who appeared on both America’s Got Talent and Canada’s Got Talent, that association has had a tangible impact.
Adding those shows to her resume has landed her almost all her gigs in the last five years.
“From a career standpoint, it is literally the reason that I am working really cool jobs and getting paid better than I would have before even if I didn’t win,” said Stacey.
However, the exposure didn’t translate into how she expected for her social media.
After receiving the golden buzzer on Canada’s Got Talent, Stacey did see more traction on social media — but less than she had anticipated.
Her experience on America’s Got Talent also brought fewer followers. Because she was eliminated in the top 50, her performances aired without her name superimposed, making it harder for viewers to find her online.
Got Talent isn’t the only reality TV show that artists have looked to to boost their careers.
Nearly 15 years ago, artist manager Mark Watson brought the a cappella group Eh440 onto Dragon’s Den with no intention of accepting a deal. The goal was visibility.
It worked.
Drama, drama drama
“It helped beef up the band’s biography and resume,” said Mark.
Following the episode, the band started booking corporate events, exactly the kind of work he was trying to get for them.
Behind the scenes, he said, the producers need a story.
“These shows are in the business of selling advertising and to do that they need as many viewers as possible,” said Mark.
“They need drama because that just makes good TV.”
Kellie had some reservations going into filming for that reason.
“I always felt like there’s a bit of a cheese factor in these kinds of shows; they can come off as inauthentic,” Kellie said.
In their case though, the experience felt genuine.
“The way [Canada’s Got Talent] told my story felt really real,” she said.
“It was a good experience overall.”
Still, Mark added that the contracts are lengthy. There are things to look out for. But it can still open doors that seemed otherwise nailed shut, he explained.
Post-production
Long before their time on television, Kellie built their music career going door-to-door to sell CDs of their first album.
“I actually brought headphones with me too so that if they said no, I would say, well, just listen first,” they said.
Now, in 2026, Kellie is focused on maintaining the momentum sparked by the show. They have finished a forthcoming third album with plans for a west coast tour.
Meanwhile, Stacey is in San Juan, doing a show booked as Stacey Kay from America’s Got Talent.
“You have to appreciate where you come from just as much as you appreciate where you’re going,” said Kellie.
The television route still offers a chance for fast-tracked success. The pay-off comes later in the ways it helps your resume, explained Stacey.
That said, “it has to match with who you are,” she said. After each performance, artists are interviewed in front of the camera for hours. “I thought that was amazing but some people would rather die than do that.”
Through it all, “you get to know yourself even more and be around all kinds of people who are also dreamers,” said Kellie. “That’s my favourite place to exist: in the clouds where anything is possible.”
