Kreviazuk's kin recalls little star
Songstress in hot demand at 14

Jon Kreviazuk couldn't quite remember the circumstances of the phone call that came from a radio station, requesting an interview with his talented 14-year-old daughter, Chantal.

But he recalls with certainty that his wife Carole wanted no part of it. It caught Jon a little off guard at the time, but he soon realized it was a case of mother knowing best.

"I was amazed," Jon recalled on the eve of Chantal's homecoming performance at Pantages Playhouse last night. "My wife turned around and said: 'No. She's not doing it.'

"Then (Carole) told Chantal, 'You have a talent. You have a gift. You enjoy your teenage years. The talent you have, you will never lose. When you get old enough to realize it, you can develop it in a proper fashion.' "

Carole and Jon -- who were among about 30 family members watching 26-year-old Chantal last night -- had heard horror stories of other young talents who were burnt out long before their prime. They didn't want that to happen to their daughter.

They knew her time would come, and it did when she was 22. She called her parents, who were vacationing in Hawaii, telling them she was on the verge of inking a big-time contract with Sony.

"She said 'Hi mom and dad! Sony wants to hear my (tape), the president is coming to town to see me, and it's 41 below outside!' " Jon remembered with a chuckle.

"I said, 'I'll tell you what to do -- get on a plane and come to Hawaii.' She came to Hawaii, where we were supposed to stay for two more weeks, but I had to go back home with her after a week because she was too excited to stay there."

Chantal's brother, Mike, who operates one of his family's two Krevco Pools and Spas locations, praised his parents for how they've watched over Chantal.

Overnight success

"There was zero pressure in our house on her," said Mike, 34. "Even now, my mom talks to her on the phone every day and they don't even talk about her career. They just talk about other stuff."

Jon marvels at how Chantal started playing piano, and seemed to add singing and songwriting to her talents overnight.

"What amazes me about her is, at her age -- 26 -- she's not a person who does things for personal gain," Jon said. "Integrity is very important to her. I think that comes from her upbringing."

Chantal has lived in Toronto since 1996, but she likes to come home to relax, Jon said.

"She likes the house, she likes going for her jogs around the neighbourhood. She likes being with the dogs, our Yorkies. She always wants to take one home with her and we say 'No, you can't do that.' "

By: Doug Lunney