Frankie Cena is many things - actor, singer, debater, emcee, model, Mr. World Canada.
But there's one title the 22-year-old Port Moody resident feels could capture it all: Entertainer.
Next week, Cena will show what he's got to make it big at a debut concert at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby, the same site where his hometown idol Michael Buble once gave his first big live performance.
"I love to entertain and I love so many different mediums of it," he said last week as he was preparing to host the Mr. World competition in Torquay, England, with Miss World 2014 Megan Young.
"I will do whatever it takes to be global now."
Cena admits he's had more high-profile success outside Canada. He was a Top 10 finalist in Mr. World in 2012 in England and, last year, he modelled for American Eagle's Back to School campaign in New York City and sang at the X Factor USA live auditions in Los Angeles.
Still, his portfolio at home isn't too shabby, either. In April, the UBC business graduate emceed the first KaBoom! arts fair in Port Moody and he has appeared in local contests, too.
For his show on June 26, Cena promises to get toes tapping as he sings cover tunes from the 1960s to present day. "I'm not at the point of releasing original music just yet," he said.
And Cena will be backed up by a band directed by Trevor Hoffman that includes Jessica Zraly of Coquitlam. The concert will also include duets with Zraly, Jerrica Santos, Ria Jade, Gelsy Wong, Iris Del Castillo and Stephanie Standerwick.
Part of the show's proceeds will be donated to Promise For Tomorrow, a charity run by Cena's student Lily Kim that is the youth chapter of the Chi Heng Foundation Canada (an organization that supports orphans in China). The goal is to raise $1,000 for the cause.
Tickets for Frankie Cena in Concert Live! at the Michael J. Fox Theatre (7373 Macpherson Ave., Burnaby) are $35/$25/$20 through eventbrite.com.
