Draft:JD Meeboer

John David Meeboer (October 10, 1995 – May 26, 2021) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician from Vineland, Ontario. He is best known for being one of the six finalists on the Canadian YTV television series, The Next Star, on the fourth season.

Following his appearance on the show, he became the frontman of various bands before his death including Shout For Serenity, Bitter Kids and Pressures.

Early life
Meeboer was born in St. Catharines and raised in Vineland, Ontario. He attended Vineland Public School and Beamsville District Secondary School. Meeboer performed around his hometown making local appearances prior to auditioning for The Next Star.

Career
Before auditioning for The Next Star, Meeboer was the lead vocalist of his band Shout for Serenity. He posted videos on YouTube with his band, first uploading a cover "Three Cheers For Five Years" by Mayday Parade. He auditioned for the fourth season of The Next Star in Toronto, Ontario, in 2011. He made it to the Top 16 before advancing into the Top 6 along with Parker Schmidt, April Llave, Milly Benzu, Shania Fillmore and Charlie Storwick. He sang the song "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" on the eighth episode of the fourth season on the show. Meeboer worked with songwriter and producer Nicole Hughes to write the song "Sparks Are Gonna Fly", a track he performed during his time on the show. The music video for the song was released on September 6, 2011. Additionally, he worked with vocal coach Jasmine Denham-Baird on vocals and Dave Campbell on choreography. He performed the song live at the season finale of the show on September 25, 2011. The song was ranked at number 21 on the MuchMusic #Trending rates of 2011 countdown. He released another song on the show titled, "Turn It Up" along with the other contestants. At the finale, Meeboer lost the competition to Storwick.

Following the end of the fourth season, he returned to his band Shout For Serenity. In March 2012, the group competed at the Niagara Talent Search at the Greg Frewin Threatre, making it all the way to the finals. The band toured with various local bands and opened for other notable bands such as Faber Drive. Before the band's breakup, they released their first and final single "Hearts in Stereo" in 2013. Meeboer also continued to post videos on his YouTube channel, uploading covers of "Fallout" by Marianas Trench, "Invincible" by Hedley and "I Swear This Time I Mean It" by Mayday Parade. He performed a show at the Capitol Theatre in New Brunswick with fellow Next Star contestant, Shania Fillmore in January 2012.

In May 2013, he formed a post hardcore band called Bitter Kids along with his friend Damien Birdsey. They released their debut extended play, Monster House in February 2014. The group performed at the Scene Music Festival in St. Catharines, in June 2014. They collaborated and toured with Canadian artist, SayWeCanFly. The band also collaborated with the vocalist of Woe, Is Me and Issues, Michael Bohn. In April 2015, Meeboer parted ways with the group on good terms. He joined the band Royal Manor as the bassist and lead vocalist in 2016. On May 13, 2016, he reunited with Bitter Kids to perform at their final show. In 2017, he worked with Birdsey on a song called "Emotion" under the project name TAMF MNSN. Meeboer joined another band called Dead Weight in 2018 as the lead guitarist.

In 2021, Meeboer returned to music and formed a new group, Pressures. However, the band went on hiatus following the death of Meeboer. In 2022, the group returned and released their first single "Dark Glow", a song they had recorded in December 2019. This serves as Meeboer's first posthumous release. The band released two additional singles, "Time Bomb" and "Wasting Away" in promotion of their debut EP, Amaliia. The EP was released on September 6, 2023.

Personal life
Meeboer ran a YouTube channel under the name guitarman88088 uploading home videos and original songs.

Meeboer passed away on May 26, 2021, in his home in Vineland, Ontario. His death was announced the following day by his mother, Ronnet via Facebook. The cause of death was revealed to be an overdose. Meeboer struggled with mental health issues resulting in anxiety and depression.

Discography
 with Bitter Kids 
 * Monster House - Album (2015)
 * "Voices" - Single (2013)
 * "Monster House" - Single (2014)
 * "All of This" - Single (2014)
 * "The Next Life" - Single (2014)
 * "Painted Pictures" - Single (2015)

 with Pressures 
 * Amaliia - EP (2023)
 * "Dark Glow" - Single (2022)
 * "Time Bomb" - Single (2022)
 * "Wasting Away" - Single (2023)

 with Shout For Serenity 
 * "Hearts in Stereo" - Single (2013)

Singles
As lead artist

Other appearances