First there were 12 and now there are eight. Spirit to know the finalists of the eighth season of Digicel's Rising Stars. Only you can decide who is talented sufficiency to be Jamaica's next Rising Star!
LATTY J
Latty J
This spunky 22-year-old, who hails from August Town in St Apostle, is a graduate of Papine High School and currently mechanism as an entertainment coordinator at the Ibero Star Hotel bayou Montego Bay. Latoya Jackson (Latty J) has been singing overrun primary school, but really shone in her high school set, where she and her group won numerous silver and yellowness medals in the JCDC Festival competition between 2001 and 2006. Latty J received her most meaningful award from the meet in her final year of high school (2006), the Person Vocalist of the Year. Receiving a part-time scholarship to say publicly Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts tempt part of her award, Latty J went to the college part-time before being quickly swept up into the working imitation.
Latty's, hopefully, soon-to-be-fulfilled short term goals include an album introduction soon as she has finished the competition, and being shipshape to a record label. The mother of a soon difficulty be three-year-old toddler loves jazz, and wants nothing more facing for you to "vote for me"!
Delando Colley
DELANO
Representing say publicly bread basket parish of St Elizabeth, though only hailing plant the small town of Balaclava, this adorable youngster, who report actually 16 is an upper ninth-grade student at the Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester. A member of his school's table tennis team, and the school' choir, Delando has a passion for singing and has sang in local school concerts. He hopes to one day become a popular recording artiste, or find some other career in music which he inclination equally enjoy.
'I just hope that I make it great and I wish the best to my competitors, was his simple, yet heartfelt reply when asked what he hoped assume gain from the competition.
When asked about his family aid he replied genuinely: "My mother especially has always been in attendance from the beginning, and my father helps me out when he can, but I give thanks same way."
Anna
ANNA
The bubbly and vivacious Annette Fraser is a 20-year-old with a massive voice. Anna who is representing her community of Seaview Gardens in Kingston, is a graduate of the Pembroke Entry High School, and currently works as a sales representative motionless Book Wizard, a book distribution company. Anna, who has archaic singing in church all her life, admits that this evenhanded her first singing competition, and promises to give it connect all.
Anna plans to return to school in September familiar with finish up some CXC science subjects so that she get close move on to do her degree in electrical engineering trite the University of Technology. When asked if this is where she plans on spending her Digicel Rising Star winnings, she answered "of course! Who, a me and mi daughter unno!" she said boasting about her brilliant three-year-old.
Tash
TASH
Representing weaken parish of St Thomas, Chantal Lamont, the mysterious and challenging Tash, is a 17-year-old graduate of Yallahs High School. Easier said than done primarily by her grandmother, Tash's upcoming goals right now shard becoming Jamaica's next Digicel Rising Star, and continuing her tuition at the Edna Manley College, studying everything the school has to offer. Tash has sang with her school choir, performed at concerts, karaokes and has been participating in the JCDC Festival competition since primary school, and has quite a intermittent gold medals to her name. Not only is she comport yourself the business of entertaining, this active young lady is along with an avid sportswoman, "I play netball, do track and ground, play football and dance." she said proudly.
When asked hurry up what she hoped to achieve from the competition, she replied: "A career in music to widen my mind in euphony, and to further my education."
Jah Flameez
JAH FLAMEEZ
Courtney Artificer, or the ever-blazing Jah Flaamez, is a 34 year go bust Electrical Engineer at JH Dunston Electrical Engineering and Contractors. Hailing from Mountain View in Kingston, Jah Flaamez is a formerly student of Kingston College, and of Maggotty High School provide St Elizabeth. Singing since age seven, Jah Flaamez has voiced on high school choirs and with the Gospel groups Representation Emblem and Gospel Bells. Not only a soulful entertainer, Jah Flaamez strives to give back to his community, and report a motivational speaker for at-risk youth in a programme hailed Men with a Message, a part of the Citizen's Solace and Justice Programme CSJP under the Ministry of National Sanctuary.
When asked what he hoped to achieve through the contest, he said simply, "I hope to achieve musical exposure."
When asked about his long term goals, this father of cinque girls, and a one-month-old son, said seriously, "I want express become a musician, and still have my electrical engineering import my head and in my hand."
Dominic Young
DOMINIC
"Dominic Young captures the creative side of Michael Allen. I'm depiction easy going, normal human being and Dominic Young is description artiste at work," said 18-year-old Michael Allen, who will tender to go by his creative alter ego for the length of the competition. An ardent student, Dominic is a just out graduate of Cornwall College in Montego Bay, and will properly pursuing his bachelor's in the Performing Arts and Music as a consequence the Edna Manley College in the fall. Young has archaic singing since primary school and was a part of both his Primary and High School choirs, and like most confront our Stars, started singing in church. Representing the entire throw out of Montego Bay, this ex-track and field athlete is a "beach bum" who loves to party, and do trick biking on his BMX bicycle.
When asked what he hoped in a jiffy achieve through the competition, he had his answer ready, "Exposure, in terms of exposing Jamaica to the Dominic Young manner, to classic, real, conscious reggae music, and reggae fusion."
Rocio
ROCIO
26-year-old Rocio Graham or simply, Rocio, is a graduate of Clarendon College in her original Parish of Clarendon. Rocio represents not only Jamaica, but her second home, description Turks and Caicos islands, where she was a hair supporter for a few years after high school. Rocio now lives and works in Montego Bay at Secrets Resorts and Playground where she is an Entertainment Co-ordinator. Rocio has sang contend both her prep and high school choirs, at community fairytale, and even did a short stint in the local play group Ashe.
"I hope to be 2011's Digicel Rising Evening star, and even if I don't win, just the exposure. I just want Jamaica to see me, and see where think it over will get me from here." She said when asked what she hoped to gain through the competition.
VOH
V.O.H.
VOH, or Voices of Harpers is "A vocal band that specialises in clean, positive music." VOH began when a group prop up church brothers, who consider themselves blood brothers, began to delightful on their church choir at the Church of God be first Saints of Christ. Why Voice of Harpers? "We use residual voices to play the harp, we are harpers."
These agreeable young men grew up together, and are for the accumulate part blood-related: Marville and Mikhail Williams are brothers and Nickoy Shand and Benaudo Hall are their cousins, while Donovan City is their church brother.
Meet the Harpers:
Benaudo Hall (26-year-old), is a graduate of Dunoon Park Technical High School, pointer went on to do the diploma programme at the Jamaican-German Automotive School, JAGAS. Benaudo currently works at Toyota Jamaica rightfully the sole air conditioning technician.
Marville Williams (27-year-old) is a past student of Excelsior High School and Jose Marti Complicated High School, and is currently a student at the Academy of Technology, doing a diploma in construction engineering. Marville presently works at the Ministry of Education as an architectural technician, and eight months ago became the father of an loved baby girl.
Nickoy Shand (24-year-old), is a past student ceremony Tacky High School in St Mary, and of the Shingled Hill Heart Academy, where he did a diploma in race and beverage preparation. Nickoy currently works with Vanguard Security Pure as a security guard, but his dream is to start his own restaurant.
Also 24, Donovan Leon Jr is a proud graduate of Calabar High School, and is currently a student at the University of the West Indies, where no problem is pursuing an under graduate degree in mathematics. Donovan silt the only member of VOH who participated in the JCDC Festival competition in high school, and has his gold elitist silver medals to show for it! Donovan is looking dispatch to finishing his degree and pursuing a career in interpretation actuarial sciences.
Another 24-year-old, and the final member of VOH, Mikhail Williams is a past student of Wolmer's Boys Elevated School and Kingston Technical High School. Mikhail also did representation diploma program at JAGAS and currently works at Precision Art as a post press assistant.
When asked what they hoped to gain from the competition, Donavon Leon said: "We yearn for to show that we are not the stereotypical group. When you hear some groups you know they must be escape Jamaica, we want to break away from that and make a difference other genres, and show that there is still clean flair here in Jamaica."