[1] He started to sing at an early age and is classically trained, playing several instruments, most notably, the violin and viola.

In 2004, he was preparing to leave home for Montreal to study viola performance at the Schulich School of Music in McGill University, when he decided to audition for Canadian Idol.

Beating out 8,977 other contestants, Porter was crowned "Idol" on September 16, 2004, in front of a live TV audience.

[citation needed] Porter's first single "Awake in a Dream" was released on October 5, 2004, and debuted at number 1.

The first single, "Down in Heaven" (which Porter wrote as a tribute to his mother) was available to radio stations from June 4, and reached number 25 on the Canadian Hot 100.

[citation needed] The music video for the second single from the album, "Destination (Where I Belong)" premiered in November 2007.

The track "Walk On Home" was used as the contestant elimination song for Canadian Idol's fifth season.