Tobago Star Quest winners ready to shine

FOR Amari Douglas and Jayda George, the sky’s the limit.

The performers, who tied for first place in the final of the inaugural Tobago Star Quest – The Next Level competition on December 14, have vowed to reach the pinnacle in their respective disciplines.

They are not only eager to put in the hard work and sacrifice necessary to achieve their goals but are ready to prove to the world that Tobago is not wanting for talent.

“The show was a great idea because it helps put this small island on the world stage,” Douglas, 16, said in an interview on December 18.

“There are a lot of talented people here but many of them just don’t have the resources and avenues to bring it out. So the competition was a great help for people who had the talent and the skill to get exposure.”

George, in a separate interview on December 19, agreed.

The young gospel vocalist, who sings with the group Divine Voices, praised the organisers’ emphasis on unearthing and showcasing the talents of the island’s young people, noting it also presented an opportunity to explore genres outside of calypso and soca.

“For me, musically, Tobago is extremely lacking. So for them (organisers) to start something like this (Star Quest), something so positive to get the young people to really explore other genres is a good thing because a lot of the times in Tobago when you hear music, you think soca, calypso. They focus more on the cultural aspect and it is very seasonal. So in my opinion, I just hope they could continue on with this idea,” she said.

George, who is also 16, performed a soul-stirring rendition of the Cynthia Erivo song, Stand Up, from the movie, Harriet. The song celebrated the heroism and compassion of Harriet Tubman, a former American abolitionist who escaped slavery and rescued approximately 70 enslaved people using the channel of what became known as the underground railroad.

“Stand up, take my people with me, together we are going to a brand, new home,” sang George, who performed alongside two dancers. Images from the movie flashed across a large screen during her performance.

Of the tune, the singer told Newsday, “The song inspired me based on the back story behind it. She escaped slavery and the word was that she was dead but she was getting herself in an order and smuggling slaves out of slavery by the underground railroad until eventually all of them were freed.”

Douglas, a fourth form student at Bishop’s High School student, played an interpretation of the Michael Jackson hit, Thriller, on pan. He arranged the piece alongside Ojay Richards.

“It basically told the story of how people have gotten addicted to their cellphones and saying the we have become zombies to the phone and technology. So we used music as a way to guiding people you to keep focus, to not be dominated by technology.”

His thrilling presentation featured several dancers dressed in tattered clothing and simulating zombies.

He said his parents Allen and Christelle London-Douglas chose the song and he went along with it.

“I really liked it because it was a famous song and I felt the vibes coming from it and so we went with that song.”

The young pannist said he was confident about his performance.

Douglas started playing the steel pan around the age of five and has never regretted it.

His mother, who sat in on the interview, said her son is usually an introvert at home but assumes an entirely different person when playing the instrument.

Apart from the Buccooneers Steel Orchestra, where he cut his teeth on the pan, Douglas also plays with Scarborough’s Uptown Fascinators and reigning Panorama medium band champs Katzenjammers in his native Black Rock.

The teenager, who also arranged the music for his high school’s band this year, said he was a bit confused when he first heard about the Star Quest competition “but when I went to the auditions, I got an idea of how to move from there.”

He admitted, though, that juggling his schoolwork with preparations for the competition was challenging.

“The competition was closer to test time and we had a lot of studies. So it was a real struggle.”

George, who attends Scarborough Secondary School, started singing in church as a young girl but decided to take it seriously about three years ago.

“One of my teachers signed me up for music festival and after that I just started performing.”

At the Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival in April, she won the under-15 religious solo for Oceans, Where Feet May Fail, by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker and Salomon Ligthelm

George said her mother, well-known gospel singer Delissa Wilson-George, entered her in the Star Quest competition the day before the audition.

“I wasn’t feeling too well but I was like, ‘Just go do it and get it over with.’ So I went up and I sang and I got through. Now I have no regrets.”

George joked, though, that preparing for the competition was difficult at first.

“I had to cut out a lot of the things I had liked, like cold water, cold juice, fast food, solo. But as time passed, it got easier.”

The Canaan resident said since winning the competition, her phone has been inundated with calls.

“Mummy keep complaining about the phone only going off.”

She said the love and support she has received from family and friends during and after Star Quest has been overwhelming.

George, who recently performed onboard the Logos Hope at the Scarborough port, said the final night of competition at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex was “very tight.

“Everybody brought their A-Game. The judges had plenty of work to do.”

Douglas agreed, saying, “All of them were spectacular. I really enjoyed their performance and they have some real talent that they should continue to nurture.”

The performers, who did not know each-other before Star Quest, said they had no problem splitting the $100,000 first prize.

Laughing, George said, “Honestly, I am content but due to the work that we put in, both me and Amari, I just find that we should get the $100,000 each. But I am content. I don’t mind sharing with Amari because he did extremely well. I’m just happy.”

She plans to use some of her money to pursue a doctorate in music.

“I just want to go to school and further my studies. I don’t have any specific genre. But I like gospel. I connect more with gospel.”

George joked that she also wants to buy a new cellphone.

Douglas, on the other hand, has his sights set on Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, said to be the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world.

“I will be saving half of my money for Berklee College and use the rest to get new equipment like a pan, cricket gears and anything else in general that I need.”

He said he is also hoping to an opportunity to arrange for Panorama in the future, following in the footsteps of Duvone Stewart, Kersh Ramsey, Ojay Richards and other up and coming Tobago-born arrangers.

Head of the Tobago Star Quest Committee John Arnold said he was overwhelmed by the response of Tobago’s young people to the ground-breaking initiative, which was tailored after the popular America’s Got Talent.

He said the event has proven it can be a sustainable product not just for unearthing and showcasing the island’s talent but also for providing developmental opportunities for the young people.

Arnold added, "The event has definitely provided a platform for Tobago’s young artistes to shine."