Musical youth
12-year-old began singing in public two years ago, now this all-Canadian kid is just about everywhere
Scotty Berg of Kelowna was scheduled to sing O Canada at Sunday’s Vancouver Canucks game at Rogers Arena. Unfortunately, his gig was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. But, don’t feel too sorry for this 12-year-old as he’s presently one of the most in-demand youth singers in the valley. He shared his thoughts and experiences with James Miller in a feature article that appears today
It all began with the national anthem. Scotty Berg’s introduction to performing came when he was invited to sing O Canada at a school assembly. Next he sang the anthem at a Kelowna Chiefs hockey game, followed by opportunities to sing before the Westside Warriors, the Kelowna Rockets, and the Kelowna Falcons.
“The Canadian national anthem is easier to sing than the American, but you still have to warm your voice up,” said the seventh grader from KLO Middle School.
The self-professed “pop singer” has been building an incredible resume over the past two years and seems to be just about everywhere these days.
He’s made the finals of Okanagan’s Got Talent, won both the Angel Award contest (a fundraiser for juvenile arthritis) and the youth voice contest at the Interior Provincial Exhibition, and performs solos in rock shows presented by Wentworth Music, where he studies music. He’s taken the main stage at both Westside Daze and Canada Day in Kelowna and enjoyed busking at the Lake Country Art Walk, singing for two hours and only repeating a handful of songs. He also shared a billing with Aaron Pritchett when he performed last July in a fundraiser for The Foundry.
By winning the IPE contest, he’s been booked for a 30-minute set at this year’s fair.
This summer, he’s signed on for several winery shows and next month competes in the Fresh B.C. Talent Quest in Penticton. As well, he will open for a Beatles’ tribute act, Day Trippers, on April 4 at the
Creekside Theatre in Lake Country.
“Scotty has something really special from a musical point of view,” vocal teacher Amanda Morazain explained. “He definitely was blessed with a naturally-gifted voice. When he starts to sing, the whole room quiets down. He’s always putting himself out there. He goes in tons of competitions and never says no to any opportunity that he can get within the community.”
The son of Stephen and Shelley Berg, his family was never musical — although his two older sisters study dance.
“When I was about three, I started singing around the house a lot,” said
Scotty, who turns 13 in April. “My dad liked to listen to rock and my mother loves country. The first time I sang for an audience was getting to do O Canada in front of my school. I then started singing lessons when I was nine and my vocal coach then encouraged me to start playing the piano in order to learn the chords.”
Scotty said his career highlight has been singing at the Rockets games because he enjoys the large venue Prospera Place has to offer.
Unfortunately, coronavirus cost him his biggest audience yet. He was scheduled to sing O Canada on Sunday’s “Kids Day” at the Vancouver Canucks game at Rogers Place, but the NHL postponed all games on Thursday morning.
“With the whole coronavirus thing and when they cancelled the NBA, I kind of had a feeling,” Scotty said. “I’m really bummed out. I got a text from my dad to tell me and my mood changed. It is still a huge honour to be asked and the Canucks sent us an email and said they’d love to have me sing next year.”
It’s unusual for Scotty not to be smiling. “Scotty has an incredible work ethic,” Morazain said. “He comes to lessons prepared and he literally has a smile on his face throughout the whole process. As a teacher, you need to critique, but in an instructive way, and he takes things that way and it helps him succeed even further. He practices all the time. He’s so humble and a great kid to work with.”
Canadian pop superstar Shawn Mendes has always been his favourite singer, but his father schooled him on the classics — Guns N’ Roses, Bryan Adams, Queen, Bon Jovi and Journey. (He sings “Faithfully” and “Don’t Stop Believing,” almost as well as Steve Perry, one of the toughest rock singers to do justice.)
As his career progressed, Scotty began developing an online fan base. He’s cut a single, “You’re Not Alone,” with Starboy Thomas, a rapper from the UK. He also drew attention when he did a duet with Justin Moore, a Vernon singer who competed against him in Okanagan’s Got Talent, on a cover of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
In addition to studying piano and learning to read music, he’s branching out to songwriting. With the help of his father, Scotty has penned one original titled, “Sing On,” which he posted on Instagram.
Deeply committed to his music — there’s never a day when he doesn’t feel like singing — he’s also well-rounded: a good student who enjoys playing soccer, basketball, flag football and touch rugby.
He credits his family, Morazain, piano teacher Trina Dunsmoor and the team at Wentworth Music for helping him achieve his dreams.
“The kids I go to school with, they’re very supportive,” he said of his classmates.
When asked if he’d love to pursue music professionally, his smile is as wide as a keyboard.
“Yes.”