So, a friend (in an effort to bolster my confidence about writing) once told me that Michale Buble was singing at a wedding when he was discovered by David Foster. Now, aware of the obvious love that inspired the comment, I didn’t point out that Buble must have been doing pretty darn good if he was at a wedding that Foster attended–I mean, let’s face it. It’s not like he was discovered pumping gas a la Toni Braxton.

But, my friend’s comment got me thinking so I started looking up the story and what I found just proves that there’s no overnight success, and confirms my suspicion that most people in the arts have been preforming for YEARS before being “discovered.”

Case in point: Buble.

At 16, he started singing at nightclubs–his grandfather, a plumber, would trade his services for stage time.
At 18, he entered and won a singing contest, only to be disqualified by the organizer for being too young.
So, he enters another contest, wins, and then convinces the organizer from the first contest to manage him.
ENTER SEVEN S-E-V-E-N YEARS OF PLAYING NIGHTCLUBS, CRUISES, WEDDINGS, ETC. and he plays at a business function attended by ex-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s aide. The aide takes a copy of Buble’s self-produced/paid-for-himself CD to Mulroney.
He’s then hired by the PM for his daughter’s wedding, and this is the event that he meets Foster.
Cue sunset and soft music, right?
Wrong.
Foster doesn’t want Buble, and finally says he’ll only produce MB’s album if MB raises the funds himself.
Guess how much money he had to raise?
$500 000.
Yep. Half a million smackers.
In the end, Foster ended up footing the bill, so MB got a refund, but still…when you start looking at the facts and figures…12 years and $500 000…that’s a lot of investment…and a good reminder that in the arts, it’s all about perseverance.