Oprah Winfrey heavily endorsed Canadian ‘popera’ group ‘The Canadian Tenors’ on an episode of her show, ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ Way to represent Canada, Oprah!
The group had been invited to appear on an episode billed as ‘The Next Best Thing,’ in which Winfrey introduced her audience to a hot new fashion designer, chef and singing group.
Winfrey also invited their idol Celine Dion, who was about to surprise them onstage as they sang their version of ‘Hallelujah.’ When it happened, the crowd went wild, and the tenors were stunned.
“The moment was so big that I kind of just lost reality,” Clifton Murray recalls of the February 2010 taping. “I just kind of glanced up at her face and it didn’t register for at least 30 seconds.”
The double whammy of a Dion/Winfrey endorsement catapulted the young group into stardom, generating an instant 10,000 Facebook friends and 50,000 CD sales.
Since then, they’ve been on a whirlwind of international tour dates, publicity stops and newfound fame.
“It’s just been a roller-coaster ride, it really hasn’t stopped since that day we appeared on ‘Oprah,’” says Murray.
It makes me so happy when Canadian artists get the recognition they deserve. Leave it to Oprah to make it happy – she’s a saint.
