David Mongar
 Age: 22 "Sure we all have our different roles, the competitors, the judges, the producers. But we're all just people who love music at the end of the day." David Mongar says he auditioned for Canadian Idol only to hold a spot in line for his girlfriend. The two had met on a cruise ship last year and advanced through the audition process until she got cut in the Top 48. Now, his girlfriend stands on the sidelines as his number one fan. David first started to sing when he was cast in a high school production of Oliver! He says he's sung all over the world, "from the treacherous mountains of crystalline beauty in British Columbia to a little metal boat, bobbing cheerfully around Cape Horn." He describes his musical style as a "jazz/rock/opera fusion…okay it's musical theatre but don't tell anyone!" David likes to knit ("scarves, mittens, bikinis"), write ("random snippets of wondrous things") and cook ("everything"). He loves The Naked Chef, his G4 PowerBook and the Vancouver Canucks. His Canadian idol is David Suzuki. "I think that this world would be literally unrecognizable if everyone cared as much as he does," says David. David is studying online to become a pediatrician or a veterinarian and says the best place in Canada is Wells, British Columbia. He describes it as "the sweetest little niche, indescribably bound up in the most breathtaking beauty and bounty we've ever been blessed with." The song title that best describes him? Luckiest, he says.
David's fun facts: Which musical act would you most like to see in concert? Martin Sexton
What has been the biggest accomplishment of your life? The biggest accomplishment of my life was being a mother to five newborn kittens, from their first blinks to their first bites, and nurturing them into strong little tigers of the world. What are you the most proud of? I am most proud of my lack of masculinity and my honorary womanhood, granted me by the love of my life, Sheena. Which item could you not live without? I'd like to think I would be just as happy with no items in my life. I think that's the goal anyway, is to have my happiness bound up in my body, not my things. But until I've reached that mountaintop, my G4 Powerbook is pretty close to my heart. What's been the best day of your life? Forgive me, but the best day of my life was probably the day Sheena first slipped her branches around the trunk of my soul and slid her roots around mine. That day really started my whole concept of the world at square one again. If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be and why? If I could meet one person, living or dead, I think I'd dearly love to sit down and have a good old chat with George Dubya. I'm just fascinated to find out how that man thinks. Or, maybe I should rephrase that last part… I don't know why I've made it so far in this competition… I know it's not because I'm one of the best singers in the country. I guess the judges see something different in me. And luck. Lots of that, too. What will it take for you to become the Canadian Idol? For me to become the next Canadian Idol, it will take a whole bunch of phonecalls. What has been the most challenging part of the competition so far? The most challenging part of the competition so far has been giving it everything you've got for four days straight on next-to-no sleep a night. But I'm sure it can only get harder… Whose career path would you like to follow and why? I don't know who's career path I'd want to follow. I think I'd like to kind of make my own. You know, just sort of follow the breeze and see what kind of path I can come up with. I'd hate to know where I was going to end up. What part of the Canadian Idol experience has surprised you the most? The part of Canadian Idol that has surprised me the most is how surreally normal everything is. I think the editing process adds so much glamour to a concept that's pretty basic, and pretty human. I think that's what I like about it most. Sure we're all in our different roles, the competitors, the judges, the producers, but we're all just people who love music at the end of the day. And it's so much fun! What did you learn about yourself during the Top 100? Uhh, that tea really makes me pee a lot What was your reaction when you made the Top 32? When I made the Top 32, my reaction was… I'm gonna say pretty positive. Yeah, it was a pretty stupendous little surprise! The greatest inspiration of my life has definitely been my mum. She's inspired me to fill my life with kindness, love and happiness. I think that's everyone's goal, deep down, but I don't think anyone can hold a candle to her gift for it. Hands down, the sweetest, most loving and generous woman in the world. Who has helped to make you the singer you are today? I think I owe every last scrap of singing ability to my first voice teacher, Louise Vaillancourt. She really had nothing to work with. And yet, somehow, she managed to piece together a foundation strong enough to let me fly in whatever direction I've wanted. What song touches you the most? Why does it affect you so much? The song that touches me most is "Heaven" by Bryan Adams, because it is my Sheena song… I was practising it for the last day of the Top 100 auditions, and couldn't sing it to her without crying…oh, and "Good Mother." Can't make it through that one dry either. What do you do to keep your nerves in check during the competition? To soothe my fretting nerves during the competition, I do a lot of breathing forms, from Chien Lung, a martial art based on the animal aspects of our three levels of consciousness. Nothing like a good Tiger before you sing. How has this competition changed you? I don't know how much this competition has actually changed me. It's flattered me… Which words or phrases do you most overuse? |
