b. 25 February 1971, British Columbia, Canada. Pop rock singer-songwriter Powter enjoyed a notable start to his career when the catchy ‘Bad Day’ became a sizeable European hit during the summer of 2005. Powter was raised in British Columbia and began playing the violin as a child, but dyslexia and peer pressure curtailed any ambitions towards pursuing a classical career. He took up the piano instead and started writing songs, and after an abortive spell at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton decided to dedicate himself to pursuing a career as a solo artist. Powter teamed up with Vancouver-based songwriter Jeff Dawson and produced a number of demo recordings, one of which came to the attention of Warner Brothers Records. After signing a recording contract Powter began work on his debut album with the help of Dawson and respected producer Mitchell Froom. ‘Bad Day’, one of the first tracks completed by the duo, was picked by Coca-Cola to be the theme song for their European ad campaign. The track was quickly added to airplay lists all over Europe and crossed over to the charts during summer 2005, topping the German listings and reaching the number 2 slot in the UK. The popularity of the single somewhat overshadowed the release of Powter’s well-crafted debut album later in the year. ‘Bad Day’ belatedly caught fire in the USA in 2006, rising to the top of the charts in March and staying at number 1 for five weeks.
