Youngest artiste takes the crown

Nine-year-old Tykairi Sargeant is the new winner of the 6-12 category in the Richard Stoute Teen Talent Competition.

Sargeant who was the youngest competitor secured his victory by an 81-point lead as he performed his two songs Tomorrow and Titanium.

Starting with Tomorrow, the St Gabriel’s Primary School Class 2 student received cheers as he entered the stage dressed in a black suit. He left his heart on the stage and during the second verse, there were shouts of “Sing it, boy!” from members of the audience. As he reached the high note Tomorrow there were shouts of ‘whoo!’ from the audience. Needless to say, at the end of his performance, some of the audience stood and clapped for the talent and voice emerging from the youngster.

In the second half, Sargeant continued to showcase his talent with his delivery of Titanium. Dressed in a sparkling grey blazer and black slacks, he once again, caused the audience to roar. He had an attitude as he sang and gave of his best. While at times his voice appeared to be a bit pitchy, he made up for it showing that he can ‘floss’ to the beat. Once more, he received a standing ovation.

After amassing 872 points Sargeant was declared the winner of the 6-12 category on Sunday around 10 p.m. by chief judge Sheldon Hope. His shocked parents, Fabian and Tracia Sargeant, ran to the stage to congratulate their son.

However, his victory was not an easy walk in the park. There were contestants who gave him a run for his money and had the audience unsure about who would be declared the final winner.

One such contestant was Casey Jemmott-Boyce who stood out from her competitors with two social commentaries. In the first half, she performed Keep Pressing On. It included a pecong verse in which she claimed she would take home the crown – an assertion that was well received by a cheering audience.

In the second half, Jemmott-Boyce enjoyed herself on stage as she performed Life Is Made To Be Enjoyed. It was evident that Boyce has improved each week. In the finals, her voice was stronger and she was in time with the backing track. She shocked the audience placing 2nd with 721 points.

Another contender was Kymani Devonish who brought a huge crowd to the Barbados Museum to watch him perform. There is no denying that he is a complete showman as he came out in the first half dressed in a red and white ensemble and sang his heart out with To Love Somebody. In the second half, he used the element of surprise as he started to sing Don’t You Remember off stage and then walked onto the stage in an all-white ensemble.

The audience roared as he sang; many declared that he must be in the top three spots of the competition even before the results were called. Devonish had to settle for third place after securing 724 points.

Crayshanda St. Hill must be commended for competing with the cold. Despite feeling unwell, she continued to fight for a position in the competition and that shows tremendous guts. In the second half, after appearing in the show later due to her illness, she received a standing ovation for her flawless performance of Never Enough. Mouths were left open after this 12-year-old vocalist sang the song despite not feeling well.

Also giving a creditable performance was eleven-year-old Joshua Osbourne who sang Ben and Music and Me. In the first half, his performance of Ben was good, but it was not as good as in his preliminary when he wowed the audience. In the second half, Music and Me seemed to give him some vocal issues as he could not hit the notes. Maybe if he had chosen another song in his range he could have had a different outcome in the competition. But he has a lovely voice which, as it develops, will make him a strong contender in the future.

Chelsea Ellis was also a strong contender as she performed Midnight Blue and I Will Survive. Ellis has a lot of spunk and showcased her dance moves as she delivered I Will Survive. She received an appreciative crowd response for that performance.

Also performing were Sheriah Gibson who sang Revelation Song and When We Were Young, Nymaria Boyce who performed A Gift To You and Let It Go and Chrisanna Stoute who sang Listen and Let Me Be Your Angel. (LG)