Sia has such an unusual and unique voice that it takes a brave person to cover her songs. However, Canadian singer Jonathan Roy was not just brave enough, he absolutely smashed it when he covered “Breathe Me.” His version has been viewed 6.8 million times on YouTube and received 57,000 likes.
It’s not unusual for young men to follow in their father’s career, particularly when he’s a big star in their home country. At first, Jonathan Roy was no different. He followed his dad, the legendary Canadian hockey player Patrick Roy, into hockey. He even crept downstairs one night and took his dad’s Stanley Cup to bed with him.
He did well in the junior leagues and at seventeen played for the Quebec Remparts, a team coached by his dad. He was a good player, but his dad, Patrick, realized he wasn’t destined to take it all the way as he had. When Jonathan was eighteen, his dad broke the news that he would not be able to make hockey his career.
The news may have crushed another teenager, and Jonathan was initially hurt by his father’s blunt statement that he was not good enough. However, he also felt a sense of relief as it ended the battle raging in his heart for years. As well as emulating his dad, Jonathan had also indulged in his mum’s passion for many years. She often played the piano for the family when Jonathan was growing up.
He learned to love music too, and started writing poetry in his early teens. By the time he was sixteen, he was also writing music to accompany it. He loved listening to John Mayer, Ray LaMontagne, and the boy band The Backstreet Boys. So, when Patrick told him he needed to start planning a future other than hockey, he confessed he wanted to be a songwriter and musician.
In Jonathan’s own words, Patrick thought he was “nuts” and believed that getting an education was far more important. He didn’t realize how much time Jonathan had spent on music so far. Now that hockey was off the table, he devoted himself to music full time. He learned to play guitar, began writing songs in earnest, and made his first recording in 2019. More importantly, he was beginning to figure out his sound.
It can be nerve-wracking trying to carve out a career in music, but if Jonathan had any doubts, they were dispelled in 2012. He landed a role in Don Juan, put on by the famous Quebec-France company. The show boosted his confidence, but he still felt lost. He needed a mentor to help him figure out his sound and how to grow his talent. Happily, his dad came to the rescue.
He introduced Jonathan to eighties singer Corey Hart who was running Siena Records by then. After a successful audition, he signed Jonathan to the label. Since then, Jonathan has released two successful albums and has built his YouTube following to 414,000 subscribers.
Hopefully, his success will continue going forward. It certainly will if his original song “Keeping Me Alive” is anything to go by, it has 100 million views! If you would like to see more from Jonathan Roy, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Facebook.