By Tamica Garnett

The fifteen finalists in the E-Networks/REDD Entertainment talent show “The Spotlight” were finally introduced to the public earlier this week at the company’s Giftland Mall location.
The show will feature an interesting mix of contestants who will definitely have many tuning in to at least see what the first episode will be like when it airs come October 5 at 8pm on E-Networks.
The cast comprises a number of individual and group acts, and includes dance groups “Now U C Me” and ‘Euphoria” as well as contortionist Robert Wall, 10-year-old break dancer Asiraf Mohammed, and speed painter Winston Alexander.

There are bands “Behold the Jury” and “Safe,” which include a violinist. And then there are the singer, eight to be exact. Of the group, opera singer Kimberly Samuels will definitely stand out in this competition and not just because of her unusual choice of genre, but because of her talent. She is a serious contender for the lucrative $2.5 million cash prize.
Also in the singing category are Shamar Ramsammy, newly minted Emancipation queen Delisha Wright, Bolloywood singer Lutchman Singh, singer/songwriter Ronald Chan Yen, and singer/musician Trevaun Selman.
Apart from Samuels, several of the singers’ performances showed that there needs to be a return of shows like the GTT Jingle and Song competition, because Guyana is still brimming with a lot of unbelievably talented singers, who, with the right backing, can really go places.
Wright’s vocal had a stunning, and uncanny parallel to that of former American Idol contestant, Jennifer Hutson, even as she belted out a few lines from Andra Day’s “Rise Up”. Singing Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” was a seamless song choice and voice combination for Trevaun Selman.

So serious is the rivalry among the singers that in a competition twist an additional three contestants will be given a chance to earn their way back into the competition. In a preliminary round set for September 27, singers Rogeria Michael, Conor Holder and Jamal La Rose will battle it out for a singular “wild card” spot up for grabs.
Though Michael was not on hand for a demonstration on Tuesday, La Rose and hip-hop/R&B singer Holder were, and La Rose’s performance left it hard to believe that he was not already automatically through in this competition. But then again the show could only have so many finalists and of course in the end there will still be only one.
La Rose did a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me” that left you craving more of this dude’s voice. He will definitely be one that will be a favourite among the ladies.
The singers vying for the wild card will be decided upon based on public appeal, with a voting process set take place on social media to decide the lucky winner. The three were each selected by a separate judge, and will now be coached by that judge as they prepare to compete for this prized wild card.

Michael finds herself paired with former Miss India World Wide winner Alana Seebarran. Holder is going to be trained by Russel Lancaster, while musician and Director of Music Unlimited Guyana, Christian Sobers, will take on the challenging of getting La Rose up to scratch to take on this wild card challenge.
Outside of the singers, if his Tuesday’s demonstration was anything to go by, young Asiraf will definitely be one that will win over the hearts of the judges and viewers with his cuteness and amazing skills for such a young age.
Hailing from the West Coast of Demerara, the Saraswat Primary School student is ready to face this competition head on, and is not nervous about being the small fish among all these adult contestants

“I’m not nervous, I love what I do.” He said. The petite youngster has been dancing since he was four years old, but only recently started it seriously a few months ago.
“I started dancing when I was four but it started out as a career when I was ten years old, only about a couple months, ‘bout six months I trained.”
If these contestants keep improving their skills as the competition continues, the judges will definitely have a tall task in coming to that final winner. Lancaster believes this talent at this competition shows that Guyana is ready to make it on the big stage.
“I know that Guyana has talent; there is no doubt that we are a talented people. I just don’t think we’ve been given the opportunity to let the world see what we’ve got available. And I think at this point we’ve gotten to the stage where we are now in a position to present ourselves to the world,” he said.