Logan Staats is a singer-songwriter from Six Nations/Brantford Ontario. In 2018, he became the very first winner on season one of The Launch, with the chart-topping single, “The Lucky Ones”. According to Logan, being on the show and recording a song that was not originally his, pushed him way outside of his comfort zone. It was not something he initially set out to do:
“So, actually, I was contacted by the show. They found me, you know?” Staats explained. “…It was actually something that I kind of struggled with for a little bit because I’ve seen some of these television shows. You know, I’ve seen ‘The American Idols’, and I’ve seen The Voice. It’s very different from what I do, but when I kind of looked further into what The Launch was doing, I [saw] that they were involving actual artists who have been out there grinding and struggling and making an effort, so I decided to jump in with both feet.”
During the recording of “The Lucky Ones”, Logan appeared to be struggling and he admitted that this was not something that was made up for TV: “At first, it was a struggle. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever faced as a musician because I take pride in my stories and telling stories. I really had to think about what made me lucky. You know, I really had to think about my relationships with my daughter, with my family, with my girlfriend and really try to focus on that while singing ‘The Lucky Ones’ and I’ve been lucky enough to sing it across the nation all summer. So it was like, almost every time I sang it, it became more mine.” Through it all, Logan said that his greatest experience on the show was cultivating friendships with his fellow musicians. He also had a very special mentor:
“I met Shania Twain and Shania Twain was my very first crush. So, to meet her and to kind of work with her on a personal level was just a big milestone for me. It’s something I hold dear to my heart. She is one of the nicest ladies I have ever met. She’s kind of got this motherly, mother-hen, vibe to her. It was almost like a family kind of vibe.”
In terms of other musicians who have had an impact on his life, Staats listed, “Any artist that puts their fist up and kind of grinds their gears against the system, you know? Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson (who hails from my Reserve), Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen -- people that are really wordsmiths and really poets/musicians.”
At the time of the interview, Logan was gearing up for two shows with the iconic Buffy Sainte-Marie in London, ON. While this is something he had done before, he was now looking forward to sharing the stage and more stories with her: “I’m really excited to see Buffy again after all of this stuff for The Launch because when I first opened for her, I was really like, the new, young gun on the scene and nobody knew who I was. Now I’m more established and I get to, kind of, hang out with her and talk to her about my experiences... and hopefully gain some lessons from her.”
Following these shows, Logan was working towards releasing his next single. “After we push that for a little bit, it will turn into an EP, and then it will turn into the release of a full album. Then we’ll be touring that! I got to connect with some really good songwriters from across North America and instead of just singing someone else’s song, now I got to collaborate and write music.”
As a songwriter, Staats said he wanted his fans to know that, “something has always drawn me to the cultural art of storytelling and traditional songs, and my music is a way to connect and tap into what my ancestors were doing. I do it with my own interpretation and to share it with people and to connect with my people and my culture.”
Finally, Logan Staats offered some wise words for those wishing to follow in his career-path: “My advice is, you know, just like I did on the show, there [are] lots of times that pop up professionally, artistically, creatively where you feel like giving up, you know? My advice is just to make sure when you do hit those creative walls—those artistic walls—just to really, really push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Put your best foot forward and follow your heart! Believe in your heart and break through those walls because there’s always something that’s so important and so monumental on the other side. You’ve got to stick it out.”
For more information, please visit www.loganstaats.ca .
Photo by Annette Dawm. To see more photos of Logan, click here.
If you liked this story, please consider making a donation here.
