He came and he sang his heart out, but in the end he went home empty-handed.

Mistissini’s Isaac Mianscum, 25, made his second attempt to become the first Eenou to make it into the televised stages of Canadian Idol when he arrived in Montreal March 17. That Saturday, after a three-and-a-half hour wait, he got his chance.

“It was fun, even though I didn’t make it to the first round,” said Mianscum. When asked what happened he replied, “I don’t know. I did my best and they didn’t tell me why.”

He got a chance to strut his stuff in front of the producers of the show, but there was no performance in front of Sass Jordan this time around. “I wasn’t nervous, I was just doing my thing,” he chuckled.

He sang one of his favorite songs, “Flying without Wings,” by Ruben Studdard. It’s a song that he’s sung for a long time and one he’s very comfortable with, but alas, it was not to be.

Last year judges told him to work on his hitting the lower notes and to come back the following year.

“I feel I can do better, but it was a lot of fun,” he told the Nation. Mianscum listens to CDs that teach him how to change his voice levels and hit high and low keys. He would love to take professional voice lessons, he says, but his job at the Meechum grocery store and no real place to learn in Mistissini has hampered his dream.

Thousands of contestants vied for the chance to be the next Canadian Idol in what has become an amazing phenomenon in Canada. Winners have gone onto very successful careers in the music industry during the nationwide search for hidden musical talent.

“It was really good to meet new and talented people,” he said. “I made lots of friends.”

Mianscum would love to see other Eenouch try to become the next Canadian Idol, but said that the people he knows who can sing are too shy.

“I’m going to keep practicing more and come back next year. I’m not discouraged; I’m just going to keep trying.”

His singing talent has been nurtured within the community, where he sings at various local events. His talent was discovered when he was 15 and he thought he was home alone so he started singing. His father heard him and encouraged him to use his gift.

And what would he do if he became the next Canadian Idol?

“I’d travel a lot, and see new places. I used to travel more but since I got this job eight years ago, I travel a lot less.”

Whether he makes it or not, Mianscum hopes that one day someone from Eeyou Istchee will make it all the way. “I want to encourage the youth, or anyone who has a talent to sing or other types of talents, to pick it up and use it. You can do it if you put your mind to it.”