Search begins for Barbados’ next superstar

The judges provided the artistes with valuable feedback on how to improve their performances.

Most of the participants facing the judges on opening night were vocalists. Performing Arts student Dana Oliver was first on stage, setting a high bar for those that followed.

Returning from a previous season was the sole instrumentalist, saxophonist Johnathan Jordan. He was upbeat after his rendition of Whitney Houston’s Saving All My Love. He told Barbados TODAY, “I feel good about the performance, but the only downfall was when my strap broke. But I still pulled through and got straight to the end.” He is excited at the prospect of moving forward to the next stage.

Each performer brought an essence of who they are to the stage. A definite  standout was Emari Browne. His  presentation emphasised his development as an artiste from the Junior Monarch competition. His voice seems tailor-made for musical theatre, and he stamped his authority with his confident delivery.

Shontae Burnett, though experiencing some pitch problems, was impressive with her powerful vocals.

Shaquille Chase wowed the judges with his acapella version of You Should Let Me Love You, which allowed the sweet tone of his voice to be highlighted.

Ramon Burke brushed away his shyness to challenge himself with the Whitney Houston classic, Greatest Love of All.

Charles Griffith, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment told the media,  “What we are hoping to achieve with this is to unearth new talent across the island. This would provide an ideal opportunity for those persons who have talent to showcase their talent, not only in a small community but showcase their talent to the island on a whole.”

He noted, “This can be an opportunity to change their lives.” He further emphasised, “Baje to the World is more than just a talent show, it is an opportunity to empower communities.”

Event Producer Dwayne Grazette is encouraging more young people to register for the auditions, which will take place across the island. Though the  $20, 000 cash prize and recording contract are an obvious incentive, he assured that the competition has other advantages. He shared, “It is a competition which also helps you to get ready for the real entertainment industry, with the training that we have and the mentors that we have. Apart from the prizes, there are a lot of workshops, preparing you for your money management, branding, costuming, how to perform on stage, the technical part of the career, which is the law, contracts, all of the various things that will set you on the right path for becoming an entertainer on the world stage.”

The competition will be utilising a broad spectrum of talent from the local entertainment scene. Also, interest has spanned from beyond Barbados’ shores. Grazette indicated, “We also have foreign artistes who have reached out to us, some offering  songs and wanting to do recordings. We even got a contact from Africa, who has expressed an interest in working with these artistes when they graduate.”

Grazette promises that each season of the competition will bring something new, which adds to the competitive element. He emphasised that diverse acts are welcome. “We want any and everybody that has a talent to come out”. (STT)