He did it — with a lot of help from his friends.
Harrison Hot Springs' country singer Todd Richard has made it through to the second round of CBC Radio's Searchlight contest, which is seeking out top music artists from across the country.
He is now a regional semi-finalist, one his way to the big prize.
Hundreds of entries were posted online last month and the musicians were broken into regions of the country, and were searchable by music type. Fans could vote online for up to 10 contestants per region, per day.
Richard is among 25 contestants from the Vancouver area, competing against acts like Robyn & Ryleigh and Hayley McLean.
Richard had promised his fans that if he were to make it through to the second round of the contest, he would post a video of himself running through the Village whooping it up in celebration.
And true to his word, he posted that video on Monday afternoon, shortly after learning he'd made the cut.
"It's all thank you to everybody that was involved in helping us vote," he said. "Thank you so much everybody."
This portion of the contest is open until Sunday, April 13. The top 10 regional finalists will be posted online the following day, and continue narrowing down with the help of votes, and eventually a panel of celebrity judges. The eventual grand prize winner will walk away with $20,000 worth of music equipment from Yamaha Canada Music, a professional recording with CBC Music, and a spot on the bill with Tegan and Sara, and Spoon at the CBCMusic.ca Festival in Vancouver.
"Vote every day," he encouraged his fans. "Go crazy."
To vote, visit music.cbc.ca.