Shaw was raised in Coquitlam , British Columbia . He is of half-Chinese and half-Polish descent ; his father was an immigrant from Hong Kong . After finding a guitar under a staircase at the age of 13 , he started practicing and eventually began writing his own songs , rather than just covers . At age 19 , while a first year sociology student at University of Prince Edward Island , he was encouraged by his friend / roommate Kyle Dutton to make a cover and take part in the " Coca-Cola MuchMusic Covers Contest 2012 " and was one of 13,000 who applied . His original audition video , was a cover of Hedley 's " Invincible " put him in Top 15 of the contestant finalists . With a cover of Adele 's " Rolling in the Deep " he proceeded to Top 10 and through his interpretation of Britney Spears ' " I Wan na Go " to Top 3 . The results were announced during the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 17 , and Shaw was crowned the winner
2012 MuchMusic Video Awards
2012 MuchMusic Video Awards
Tyler Shaw