CTV has announced that Canadian music legends Bryan Adams and Jann Arden will join Season 2 of its original music series The Launch as celebrity mentors.
Music producers Jon Levine (Avril Lavigne, Drake, Bebe Rexha); Alex Hope (Carly Rae Jepsen, Troye Sivan, Tove Lo); and Shaun Frank (The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Dragonette) will also join the reality competition series, currently in production in Toronto.
Previously-announced celebrity mentors include Grammy award-winner Sarah McLachlan, Arkells’ Max Kerman, and Ryan Tedder, the creative force behind Season 1 platinum single “Ain’t Easy” by Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, who will also produce a new song in Season 2. Season 2 also features Québec pop star Marie-Mai as a permanent mentor on the weekly celebrity panel, alongside series executive producer and music industry veteran Scott Borchetta. Liz Trinnear (ETALK) joins the show as host.
“This list of additional top-names for Season 2 of The Launch continues to establish this platform as perhaps the most viable and exciting new music program on television,” said Borchetta, founder/president/CEO of the Big Machine Label Group and co-creator and executive producer of The Launch. “By matching up musical icons Bryan Adams and Jann Arden with an incredible stable of new and emerging artists, our second season is going to crush!”
In each episode, unsigned aspiring artists audition for the opportunity to learn, record, and perform their version of a new original song by a world famous songwriter/producer. The artists are mentored by a panel of internationally-renowned music industry legends, alongside Borchetta and Marie-Mai, who then decide which version of the song will be released across the country immediately following the broadcast of each week’s episode.
Season 2 is set to premiere in early 2019 on CTV and VRAK.
Be part of The Launch live studio audience
Viewers in the Greater Toronto Area can attend a free taping in downtown Toronto. All audience members must be at least 11 years of age and an adult must accompany those under age 16. Upcoming tapings include:
| Friday, Oct. 12: | Celebrity Mentor and Producer: Ryan Tedder |
| Wednesday, Oct. 17: | Celebrity Mentor and Producer: Bryan Adams |
| Wednesday, Oct. 24: | Celebrity Mentor: Jann ArdenProducer: Shaun Frank |
| Tuesday, Oct. 30: | TBA |
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