My last blog “Listen. Did you hear that?” has kept me on my toes the past few weeks.  The idea of hearing the next “U2″ on a random Tuesday night is a pretty cool possibility.  So I didn’t run into the next Bono, but I did find this video on a Tuesday afternoon.  I will admit that I have watched my fair share of American Idol but can honestly say I’ve never viewed an episode of Britain’s equivalent X Factor. That is until I found the above video being passed around Facebook.  Skeptically I clicked on the link and watched the 6 min video.  I watched as young British drama teacher, Danyl Johnson, went from being an idol to his students to receiving a standing ovation from a theater full of strangers hearing him for the first time.

I’m a sucker for a good and sappy story but this one gave me a bit of a the “holy crap” chill.  Within a few minutes Danyl’s performance was spread across the internet on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter etc. reaching the World before he crawled into bed that night. Since his Saturday performance over one million people have viewed his rendition of “With A Little Help From My Friends” on YouTube alone.  Next week he will be on his way to the States for an appearance on the Today show. Thanks to technology, networking sites and the value of a good buzz he has had more press in his first few days of fame then most up and coming musicians could dream of.

Danyl isn’t the most talented artist I’ve ever heard, but he caught my attention, I liked his stuff and now among all of the other press he’s getting, he has a Sixthman Blog dedicated to him.  He has made it! At least for now, or until the next really amazing audition.  The power of media and technology which has enabled a school teacher to become a minor superstar overnight is either the best or worst new version of  modern day A&R.

Watching Danyl have his moment should be inspiring and encouraging for all aspiring musicians. I think true talent is true talent no matter where you find it and I can appreciate the hard work as well as pure luck that leads to being discovered. Either way technology, networking and media are playing a larger role in creating over night superstars and it’s almost impossible to ignore these “Danyl” sensations and it seems to be easier to forget whats hiding in music clubs and not splashed across your computer or TV screens.

So where do you think networking sites, the media and technology will lead us as we search for true and inspiring musical discoveries?