Norman Wells (Sep 27/04) - If only Bonnie Deschene could sing her way to Yellowknife. "I sing all over the place," she said. "It's like a habit. I don't even know I'm doing it."

The Norman Wells teenager wants to compete in the Royal Canadian Legion's second North of 60 Idol contest, but needs to raise a few bucks to get there.

Bonnie Deschene sings the national anthem at the Sahtu Cup in Norman Wells. Deschene wants to compete in the North of 60 Idol contest in Yellowknife, but needs to raise some cash. - photo courtesy of Steve Deschene

She hopes she can get a singing slot on the night of Oct. 16, when she'll be in Yellowknife anyway. But there's still accommodations to be found, not to mention the financial burden if she makes it to the semi-finals and has to return for another competition.

So the 14-year-old is saving her babysitting revenue and canvassing the town for odd jobs. She has even taken out an ad on the community cable channel fishing for work, though she hasn't had any nibbles so far.

The Grade 9 student at Mackenzie Mountain school has been singing since she was 10. She sang the national anthem at the Sahtu Cup hockey tournament and has also sung at Aboriginal Day contests and Christmas pageants.

But Deschene hasn't had any formal voice lessons because in Norman Wells, there's nowhere to go.

"There aren't many options up here for singing," she said. "There's piano lessons and that's about it."

She thought about going to Edmonton for the Canadian Idol auditions but there's a minimum age of 16.

Her dad Steve saw the advertisement for the Yellowknife contest in NWT News/North and ripped it out, knowing she'd be interested.

She wouldn't be the youngest singer in the history of the Legion contest.

Another 14 year-old, Lucy Escalante, competed in the first contest this spring and made it to the semi-finals.

Favourite artists

Deschene's favourite singers are Avril Lavigne and Amanda Stott.

Songs she's considering for the contest are In My World, To Keep From Missing You and You're Not Alone. Her final selection will depend on what suits her voice best.

Deschene has the support of her friends and family, even that of her older brother, Justin. He teased her initially about her ambition, until he learned that first prize in the contest is a trip for two to Disneyland.

Now he's rooting for his sister to go all the way.