She’ll perform at this year’s Pageant Finale on 25th June in London
A nine year old Woburn resident Lydia Singer is the overall winner of the “Rising Stars” Talent Contest hosted by Miss African Spirit Beauty Pageant.
The event was held at the Ramada Encore hotel, in Milton Keynes on 3rd April and winner Lydia fended off competition from 12 other contestants all coming from all over the UK for the chance to perform at this year’s Pageant Finale which will be held on 25th June.
When asked how she felt about her victory, Lydia said: “I couldn’t believe it when they called out my name and I just sat there for a while. I’ve never done anything like this before and, I was so nervous during the first song, that I didn’t think I would win. I feel proud of myself and can’t wait to sing in the Beauty Pageant in June.”
Bradley Gasgoyne, 12, from Northampton took the second place while the third place went to Simmy Togwe, 14, from London. Bradley is currently the UK Singstar Champion, having won a national competition sponsored by Virgin and Sony. Simmy does not have much experience with entering contests as a solo artist, but is part of 3 choirs and plays the violin and ukelele.
Judges at the event included Richard Bailey, owner of Hillside Recording Studios in Milton Keynes, Femi Akinwande, Senior Accountant at Milton Keynes Equality Council, and Jason Flinter, owner of Bristol-based, successful song writing company The Song Diner.
The winner of the “Rising Stars” talent contest wins the opportunity to perform in a paid capacity at the Miss African Spirit Pageant on 25th June, as well as cash prizes.
Pageant Director, Michelle Adams said: ”It was our first time to hold the talent contest, in response to last year’s enquiries where we had many artists wishing to perform at our event, but had no way of evaluating them. This year our judges aimed to get us the best act, looking for the “wow” factor and we are very pleased to congratulate Lydia Singer on her victory, which is exceptional for one so young. We aim to hold this same event annually, as it worked very well to find performers we can contact for future events.”
Miss African Spirit pageant is a non-swimsuit pageant held every year in Milton Keynes. It aims at celebrating African cultures, beauty and diversity, while at the same time providing a positive image with which to identify.
To find out more about Miss African Spirit Beauty Pageant, to get involved as a partner or sponsor, or to enter as a contestant, please log on to: www.missafricanspirit.co.uk.
