Theresa Sokyrka
Updated Tue. Jun. 6 2006 3:42 PM ET


Canadian Idol can help young singers get established in the music business, but their continued success depends on how much they are willing to help themselves. Season 2 runner-up Theresa Sokyrka has clearly risen to the challenge.

Record deals are only guaranteed to the winners and the show doesn't directly pay anyone, but Sokyrka -- known among the show's producers for her devotion to music and her strong business sense -- released her first album independently, and it was a hit. Now she's preparing to release another.

"The most I learned in the past year in creating this album is you really have to have a business sense. You really, really have to take the business aspect of it seriously," she told CTV's eTalk in a recent interview.

The folksy singer-songwriter from Saskatchewan went from selling her guitar so she could have spending money for the Top 100 to independently releasing the gold-selling These Old Charms, nominated for pop album of the year at the 2006 Juno Awards.

Her second record will be a collection of original material she says crosses many musical boundaries.

"With this album it was easy not to feel stressed because the songs... were really well prepared," she said. "I've written them over the past two years, so I know them quite well. They're not just a bunch of covers, they're my babies."

Suddenly propelled into the spotlight after finishing her run on the show, Sokyrka's had lots of material to draw from.

"In order to have fuel to write... you really have to have experiences, so it's just a matter of living your life and being able to share it," she said. "The exposure is an incredible gift. When you go back home you're a completely different person to some people and you have to be prepared to work twice as hard."

With one glance at what she's been up to, it's clear Sokyrka's been doing just that.

Since leaving the show, she's performed for the Canadian military in Israel and Egypt, toured Western Canada, busked on the streets of Scotland, starred in commercials and been named youth ambassador of the Saskatchewan Centennial celebration.

She finished recording her second album last winter and is now seeing it through the mixing stage. She's also joined her boyfriend, the New Pornographers' John Collins, on his band's current tour of the United Kingdom.

But she won't be gone for long -- Sokyrka is headlining the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival this summer and will soon be in full swing for her album's release.