‘Singing with the Stars’ winner to compete in regional Karoake Competition

Richland Park resident Noveecha Toney will represent St Vincent and the Grenadines in St Lucia this weekend, at a regional karaoke competition.{{more}}Toney earned the right to do so, after winning the finals of the Singing with the Stars tournament, which took place last Saturday at the Octagon in Diamond.

Despite a heavy downpour that night, followers of the highly popular television show turned out in their numbers to cheer on the eight finalists, who represented karaoke houses around St Vincent and the Grenadines, during the five-month long series.

Representing the Jar Plum Bar in Richland Park, Toney performed first on the night of two rounds of competition, her song of choice being “I’m Alive” by her star Celine Dion.

She proved top of the class when she selected, and added her own twist to the Al Green hit “For the Good Times”, in the impromptu second round.

Apart from the St Lucia trip, Toney also took home $1,000 cash, a trophy, and secured studio time and a chance to produce a music video as part of her winnings.

Coming in second was seasoned vocalist Kijah Gani, who sang at Maggie’s Bar in Layou during the preliminaries, and went back in time with her star Smokey Robinson, performing “Tracks of my Tears” for her song of choice.

Gani delighted the audience with her second selection “Save the Last Dance for me,” another oldie, sung by the Drifters.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Michael Charles, who sang at the Boat Club in Villa, secured the third position with the Collin Raye song “Love me,” and showed his mettle when he selected a song in the second round, and it was obvious that he was not familiar with it.

However, the top cop stuck to his guns and gave an entertaining rendition of the Beres Hammond classic “Pull up the Vibes”.

The other finalists included Stacy Kelly from the Boat Club, Neroy Sam from the Chill in Sion Hill, Kishroy Young from Jasmine’s Bar in Georgetown, Keith Baptiste from Miller’s Bar in Sandy Bay, and Aljay Douglas of the Tree House Bar in Arnos Vale.

Saturday’s finals featured some of the top karaoke singers in the country, playing a supporting role to the finalists.

Guests appearing on the night were Rohan and Marvo Morgan, winners of the first and second season respectively, Haliah King and Sheruel Williams, the winners of the youth edition, as well as Leo and Kim May, soca artistes Shady and Icon; there was also a dance performance by Ground Breakers and Zando.(JJ)