DESIRAE Bock of West Vancouver is about to go on a Disney adventure like no other.
The budding young pop singer, 11, will be a featured performer on the Bella Thorne & Friends Concert Jam, a spring tour of America that includes two show dates in Mexico City.
The Disney-backed tour will have Desirae, a Grade 6 student at Collingwood School, jetting to 19 cities for weekend concert dates, starting in April.
"She'll be performing next to some of the biggest Disney stars out there, so it's all pretty exciting," says Oliver Bock, Desirae's father.
Last Sunday, Desirae was in the spotlight for a long day of shooting a video for her debut song, "Crushin'," at The Zone Bowling Centre in Richmond and, later, a studio in Vancouver. In all, cast and crew worked from 3 a.m. until around 11 p.m. that day.
The video is produced by Adam H. Hurstfield, who is also guiding the music careers of Elise Estrada and the band Hey Bombshell.
"We're really excited about Desirae, and she's taking all of this in stride," said Hurstfield, president of XOXO Entertainment Corp. in Vancouver.
"There aren't a lot of preteen Canadian pop stars, so there is huge opportunity here for Desirae."
The puppy-love "Crushin'" video, which features a boys-versus-girls bowling game and some dancing in the lanes, will be ready for broadcast on TV in the next three weeks, Hurstfield says.
"Something like this will be huge on Juicebox," the new music video TV channel for kids, he adds.
The Bocks first met Hurstfield after buying studio time for Desirae at a charity event.
"She went in the studio, recorded the song and that's when Adam realized she has what it takes, the voice and everything," says Shirin Bock, Desirae's mom. "That's where this whole thing started."
From a young age, Desirae could often be heard singing songs - by Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga and the like - in the Bock home, both in West Vancouver and in Toronto, from which the family moved.
"She was just bouncing off the walls about the opportunity to do this video," says Oliver Bock. "It's definitely a dream come true for her, and she's looking forward to seeing where this takes her. For us, it's more about getting involved with what she loves doing and, as any parent would, giving your child the opportunity to potentially live their dream."
The song and video for "Crushin'" features a rap by Celeb, a Calgary-based artist whose "Second Chances" song can be heard on The Beat and Sonic radio stations.
