Toronto’s Nicolina Bozzo makes American Idol top 14

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This article was published 21/04/2022 (1614 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the first time ever, a Canadian could become the next “American Idol.”

Nicolina Bozzo, 18, has made it into the top 14 on the ABC reality series.

The Toronto native has been singing on the series using a work visa. After advancing into the top 14 last week, she is one step closer to winning.

“I get closer every time I get through a round and I do think about that,” Bozzo told the Star from her Los Angeles hotel room. “How are they going to spin that? How can there be a Canadian American Idol?”

It’s a good question, but it isn’t like the singer had many homegrown options to audition for. The only other Canadian performance-competition series currently airing that the singer, whose stage name is Nicolina, could have tried out for would have been the recently relaunched “Canada’s Got Talent.”

“Canadian Idol” was cancelled in 2006 by CTV. “The Launch,” which followed emerging musicians as they released a debut single, aired its last episode in 2019.

“It’s a huge deal,” Bozzo said about the opportunity to compete on “Idol.”

This isn’t her first time trying out for an American program. Bozzo tried out for the 16th season of “America’s Got Talent,” but didn’t make it to the live shows, so her audition never aired.

“Everything that has happened to me has gotten me to this point. For me, it (‘America’s Got Talent’) was just a stepping stone to get me where I am now.”

Bozzo’s penchant for pitch began at an early age. She grew up in a musical household in Toronto where she lives with her dad, her grandparents and her two younger sisters.

“My middle sister, Alessia, is 16 and my younger sister, Isabella, is 12. They both sing as well.”

She credits her dad, David Bozzo, for encouraging her to sing at an early age.

“I started singing almost as soon as I started talking. I was always singing and dancing, and just banging on pots and pans to songs that I made up,” Nicolina said. “As I got a bit older, my parents kind of realized that I was into it so they got me started on lessons and it just went from there.”

Her dad always knew he was an early witness to a rare talent.

“I knew Nicolina had a special talent from a very young age when she would watch Disney movies and learn all the songs, and sing them to our family over and over again,” he said in an interview.

He said his daughters would often dress up as Disney princesses to put on special concerts for the family. While he knew that Nicolina was destined for stardom, she knew exactly where she would achieve it.

“Years ago, Nicolina, her sisters and I would all watch ‘American Idol’ together and Nicolina would always say, ‘Papa, I am going to sing on that show one day.’”

As for how she made it onto the show?

Bozzo said singing on social media is key to the success she has found. She has more than 260,000 followers on TikTok where her videos have received nearly four million likes. Her audition for the show in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan has been seen two million times on YouTube.

“I post on social media all the time and I had gotten the attention of one of the casting agents from ‘Idol.’ She asked if I was interested in auditioning and I told her that I would love to.”

Bozzo is currently experiencing her first taste of what life as an artist might feel like as well. She is living alone in Los Angeles while she competes on the show. It’s the first time she has been away from home.

“The only hard part is just being away from my family. I still talk to my sisters everyday on the phone, but I am just so used to being around them. To not have them in the room with me is weird. It feels empty.”

Despite their absence, she knows her family is supportive. The Bozzo family hosts watch parties in Toronto whenever they aren’t able to make it to a performance.

“As a parent, watching your child grow into a beautiful and confident role model, and to be such an inspiration for her sisters and many others leaves me speechless. I am proud beyond words,” her father said.

For Nicolina, the journey has already paved the way for her success regardless of the outcome.

“This show is so much more than singing. It’s ‘American Idol.’ You are an idol. You’re not just a singer. I have always wanted to connect with people and this show is the best way to do that,” she said. “I get to sing and have connections with people all over the world.”

“American Idol” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Citytv.

Murtz Jaffer is a Toronto-based entertainment writer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @murtzjaffer