FOR wannabe pop stars throughout the region, the time has come to face the music.
Talent Trail 2008 has been launched, officially starting the run-up to the grand final at Hull City Hall next spring.
After performing in front of thousands of people and being chosen as the best, the winner will be presented with a grand prize of £2,000 and a Talent Trail trophy.
From today, organisers are looking for those who will compete for the big prize after making their way through numerous heats, semi-finals and eventually the final.
Now is the time for entrants to warm up their vocal cords, choose their act, and – most importantly – get their applications in for the contest.
Last year, teenager Jess Bannister, of Swanland, was crowned the overall winner. The way she sang and played acoustic guitar impressed judges at every stage of the competition.
She said: “I entered because someone cut out the entry form for Talent Trail for me and said ‘you should enter’. |
2007 winner Jess Bannister
It was only when I got into it that I realised what a big thing it was.
“I just had so much fun. There is such an amazing atmosphere.”
It was the first year Jess was able to enter, as the minimum age had been reduced from 18 to 16.
Since winning the contest, she has taken part in charity shows and was booked as one of the acts at the switch-on of Hull’s Christmas lights.
She said: “The competition really boostedmy self-confidence and made me realise I do have talent and I should go for it.
“There’s an amazing amount of |
talent in Hull. I was so surprised when I went to the first round. I thought I was never going to get through.”
Another previous winner, Rick Owen, 35, of Kingswood, is now part of classical pop group Ti Amero. He has worked throughout the UK as well as in Majorca and says Talent Trail was a major boost to his career.
He said: “I won the competition in 1998. It was the third time I entered.
“The first time I entered I came third, then I came second and finally, I came first.
“I’m quite competitive, so I wanted to keep doing it until I won. Never give up, that’s my motto.
“It just shows, if you want something that badly, you should definitely go for it.”
Rick said entering gave him the self-belief to take his performances to the next level, though he does still get nervous.
He said: “Talent Trail has definitely helped me. It gave me quite a lot of confidence and encouragement.
“I always get nervous before I perform, wherever I am.
“But after the first couple of songs, it’s fantastic.
“I was really welcomed at Talent Trail. It was really friendly.” |
Organiser Liz Hugill is
looking forward to more than 100 entries coming in for Talent Trail 2008.
She said: “The main reason people enter is because all of the money goes to charity.
“For a lot of people, the main thing is they want to aim for singing on that City Hall stage. A lot of people aren’t even bothered about the prize money.
“Each year, we get some of the same people entering and we see how much they have improved.
“Last year, a lot of 16-year-olds entered for the very first time and they all came through and did really well. It will be good to see how much they have improved.”
Talent Trail will kick off in clubs throughout Hull, where the heats and semi-finals are held, before moving on to City Hall, in Queen Victoria Square, city centre.
Judges in the competition will once again include well-known entertainers and promoters, as well as reporters from the Mail.
All the proceeds raised in the competition will be given to the Mail’s charity of the year, which will be chosen in January.
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