Text messages reviewed by CBC show Fernandes promising to pay Pretty back with a large sum of money he was expecting. Meanwhile, Pretty said, Fernandes told him he was having financial trouble and asked for help to pay the bills.
Parts of a text conversation between Pretty and Fernandes: Pretty said Fernandes promised a meeting with Canada's top music executives, but it kept getting cancelled. Things moved quickly, Pretty said: attending photo shoots, recording radio promotions and giving Fernandes $8,000 to hire a manager to get the one original song they recorded played on the radio.įernandes invited Pretty to perform with him at a popular Toronto music venue, but after the performance, Pretty said he had to pay for the backup dancers. "It didn't take long until almost felt like an older brother," Pretty said. Pretty said Fernandes opened up about his past addiction. Pretty also shared his previous struggles with bullying and depression.
In an email to CBC, Fernandes apologized and said he wasn't in his right mind due to drug use.īut it appears some of his behaviour continued earlier this year, some of it during a time when Fernandes told CBC he was in a treatment facility and sober. Some artists describe being in awe of Fernandes and honoured when he befriended them, but now say they believe the friendships were a ploy to borrow money that hasn't been repaid. Text messages, bank documents and lawsuits reveal Fernandes took more than $200,000 from about a dozen people CBC spoke with or reviewed their legal documents.Īspiring artists and fans accuse him of preying on them - either on their pursuit to become a star or for a chance to meet and get a tattoo done by him after he started offering tattoos. WATCH | Glen Pretty talks about why he kept believing in Fernandes's promises:ĭuration 0:49 Musician Glen Pretty says he thought he was finally getting his big break after meeting Danny FernandesĪrtists who paid Fernandes say his promises went unfulfilled: scheduled meetings with music executives were mysteriously cancelled, working with other artists didn't pan out and most recorded songs and videos weren't completed or released. It ended with Pretty filing a lawsuit against Fernandes in 2021 and winning.Īn Ontario Superior Court judge ordered Fernandes pay it all back, but Pretty has yet to receive a cent. Pretty first paid Fernandes $2,500 to record a song, which quickly turned into him giving Fernandes around $55,000 over a six-month period - a portion for music and the rest Fernandes borrowed for personal use, but didn't pay back, according to a statement of claim. "He said, 'I want you to be here tomorrow,' so I cancelled all my jobs." "I was like, 'Wow, this is all happening super quick,'" Pretty said. Not long after, Pretty, who was living in Ingersoll, Ont., received a video call from Fernandes inviting him to his studio. It mentioned other services, including radio promotion and access to a publicist. Pretty first met Fernandes in June 2020 after he responded to a Facebook ad that offered aspiring artists the chance to record a song with Fernandes for $75 an hour. Last year, a judge ordered Fernandes to pay it back, but Pretty hasn't received a cent. In an email to CBC News, Fernandes apologized to those he "hurt or misled" and attributed his behaviour to drug use.Īspiring musician Glen Pretty gave Fernandes around $55,000 for music-related projects and personal reasons. So I was like: 'This is a big deal,'" Pretty said.īut Pretty says much of what Fernandes was offering didn't exist.Ī months-long investigation by CBC Toronto has revealed Fernandes took tens of thousands of dollars from musicians who thought they were paying him to help with their music careers. "Obviously I'm freaking out because I used to listen to him. Pretty said Fernandes had promised he'd make him famous. Pretty, then a 25-year-old from small-town Ontario with a big dream of one day selling out Madison Square Garden in New York City, thought he was going to be mentored by - and make music with - Canadian pop and R&B star Danny Fernandes. It appeared makeshift, with a couple of tables, computers and black and blue foam on the walls.Īspiring singer Glen Pretty found the setup rather odd for a platinum recording artist, but he wasn't about to start asking questions. The recording studio was in the garage of a townhouse in Milton, Ont.
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