Canadian Idol opened up its floodgates at Vancouver's Plaza of Nations on Friday to waves of excited youth anxiously awaiting their shot at becoming Canada's latest singing star.

The new horde of Idol hopefuls, many of whom camped overnight, were roused from their lawn chairs and blanket-covered concrete beds with a morning concert, which kicked off the show's third season, by B.C.'s own Elena Juatco and Shane Wiebe.

The two finalists from last season's Top 10 got the crowd pumped as they took turns performing familiar Idol tunes and some new songs.

Juatco, who not even a year ago stood in the same line, shared some fond memories of her experience last April as she waited to audition with her best friend.

"We just kind of set up camp and everybody was just kind of walking around and coming up to you, singing to you," said the 19-year-old.

"It was a long, long day. A lot of waiting, it was really exhaustive. But it was fun because I was with my friend."

Speaking like an Idol veteran, the sixth-place finalist doled out some dos and don'ts to this year's contenders.

"Do your best. Make sure you do what you do in the room with no regrets. It's kind of your one shot. Just have fun with it and be you," she said.

"There are no don'ts, just do," Juatco laughed. "No exception. You just do whatever you want. The sky's the limit."

The success of the "B.C. Three", a term used by Juatco, Wiebe and Jacob Hoggard which showed off their provincial pride last season, has inspired some new faces to audition and go for their dreams of a showbiz career.

Allison Holliday is among those pursuing her love of singing. Accompanied by her mother, the 16-year-old claimed her spot in line at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Wearing a shirt that proudly says, "My mom thinks I'm cool," Holliday said she was motivated by Wiebe and Hoggard, fellow Abbostfordians who placed fifth and third in the competition.

"I love singing. I've been singing since I was four-years-old," she said. "And I live in Abbotsford, it's not exactly the place where you can get yourself found and so I decided I really wanted to come here because, well, I'm out and I can get found this way."

For Shayla Triemstra, her motivation to audition for Canadian Idol stems from an old high-school rivalry with a singer named Avril Lavigne.

Triemstra recalls competing in talent shows against the celebrity artist who attended a rival school in Napanee, Ont.

"I rave about how she's famous and I'm not. She makes millions of dollars," said the 21-year-old who recently settled down in Abbotsford, a city west of Vancouver.

"Someone said to me about a month ago, they looked at me and said, 'she pursued it, you didn't.' So, I went to the website and said I'm gonna do this and here I am."

Eye on Idol