WITH only one day to go until entries close, our Times Talent competition is beginning to heat up with talented Glaswegian going head-to-head for the grand prize.
The winner of Times Talent, which is supported by food ordering company Foodhub, will walk away with a grand prize of £1000.
Among the contestants are brother and sister Freya and Robbie Kerr from Penilee.
Eleven year old Freya started singing when she was six years old. Despite her young age, she is not afraid to tackle ballads from divas including Beyonce and Alicia Keys.
Robbie, 16, has always sang around the house but only started doing it seriously when Roseann encouraged him to go along to Freya’s singing class so that he could get out of the house.
Roseann said: “Robbie was just diagnosed with Asperger’s recently and I was worrying about his mental health. He was stuck in his room, even though it’s fine for Robbie to enjoy his own company.
“I had said to him Freya’s singing coach was doing the lessons on a Saturday morning. He used to love singing when he was wee and he was in school productions and stuff but always kept it quiet to himself.”
After his first class, Robbie was already being entered into competitions, he won a trophy and a gold medal.
While they are competing against each other in the contest, their Mum Roseann told the Glasgow Times they are incredibly supportive of each other. She said: “I thought there was going to be a bit of the sibling rivalry. They bicker about everything but when it comes to their singing, they’re dead switched on with it and supportive of each other.”
The family home is extremely musical. Roseann told the Glasgow Times she is the one constantly singing in the house, as is Robbie. She said: “Robbie is a super Little Mix fan but it’s like ‘Get out my room!’ and shut the door kind of thing. Trying to get anyone to do a duet with you is murder. It’s definitely not the Von Trapps!”
Freya has even been known to burst into song when she is in school. Roseann added: “If you could just sing school, Freya would smash it. Both my kids would smash school if they could just sing. I am very very proud. They take it in their stride, they are so laid back. They’re not divas at all.”
Roseann emphasised the importance of keeping music alive. She said: “They’ve been taken away from all their wee peers. Thank god for zoom and trying to rescue the arts in some kind of way shape or form. It’s been hard for the kids, but their singing has definitely been the one constant and it’s definitely been a great help - especially for Robbie’s mental health.
“I’ve always said to them, sometimes if you can’t put something into words, there’s always a song that can do it for you. It helps you put your thoughts in focus. It lifts you. It’s dead important music, it’s just part of my whole family’s life.”
Another contestant hoping to win the £1000 prize is Ciara Sinclair.
The 18-year-old from Govanhill has entered with her singing talent, something which she says has been a process of building up her confidence.
Ciara said: “I used to go to theatre school and perform and sing there, but I was put down by a lot of people while I was at the school and it really took my confidence away.
Ciara, who is currently studying Childcare at college, says that despite negative reactions from people when she was younger, it has always been her family that got her through the hard times.
She said: “My family have been so wonderful, even when I haven’t been as confident as before.”
“My grandad in particular bigged me up loads, which helped.
Ciara’s favourite singer is Adele, who she looks up to when performing and singing.
She said: “I love Adele so much, and I was able to go and see her perform live.
“I just love her voice, it’s so powerful and I try to singing it in the shower, I think my neighbours have heard enough of me!”
Not only are singers competing in Times Talent, but dancers are also taking their chance to win our contest.
11-year-old ballet dancer, Lucy McLean began dancing at aged two, before realising her passion for the technical dance.
Janet McLean, Lucy’s mum, said: “She would watch the royal ballet on the TV at the age of three and she couldn’t take her eyes off it, which is unusual for a three-year-old.”
Lucy, from Cardonald, has built up her skill over the past few years, nurturing her ballet talent while working with The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Scottish Ballet, as well as taking up classes at Janice Marshall Stage School in Irvine and Karen Aitchison School of Dance in Largs.
Janet said: “It’s been such a shame because even when her dance school’s reopened for a bit, we couldn’t travel outside the council area for it.
“So we have every piece of equipment for ballet you could think of in the house so she can do it in lockdown, even though we don’t have the same space.
“She has her heart set on becoming a ballet dancer for the Scottish Ballet and she is so dedicated to her dream.”
Entries to Times Talent close tomorrow. To take part in our competition, fill in the form here and send us a video of no longer than one minute showcasing your talent for you chance to win £1000.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here