TALENT show winner, Marianthe Panas (17) of Durban looks forward to winging her way to Hollywood, Los Angeles after she recently won the Galleria’s Got Talent competition.
The singer’s five-day trip for two includes flights, accommodation and a VIP tour of Universal Studios sponsored by STA Travel.
The Sun caught up with this talented vocalist, who is remarkably in grade 11, to learn more about what drives her musically.
Q: Which school do you attend and what area do you stay in. Have you always lived in South Africa?
A: I’m in grade 11 at Crawford College La Lucia. I live in Durban North and I was born in Durban.
Q: At what age did you start singing, and what was the reason for taking it up initially?
A: I started singing at the age of two-years-old, through my granny teaching me nursery rhymes. I would not stop singing from that age and by seven-years-old, I started singing lessons.
Q: At what age did you begin to compete and take your performing more seriously?
A: I competed in the South African Championships of the Performing Arts when I was 11-years-old, and won various gold, silver and bronze medals. In turn I was chosen to represent SA at the World Championships of the Performing Arts.
Q: Do you hope to make singing a career in the future and also, what do you plan to study once you’ve completed your schooling?
A: I would love to make singing my career. My passion is musical theatre, which is what I want to study after school.
Q: What makes music so alluring for you?
A: Both my grannies used to sing, so I grew up surrounded by music, which is where my passion for singing started. I’m quite a shy person but singing, especially musical theatre, enables me to express myself and my feelings. It’s a release to be my true self and singing musical theatre also enables me to fulfill my passion for acting, as I portray different characters for each song. I love being on stage, entertaining people and making them happy through my music. Singing is what I know and I can’t imagine pursuing anything else in my life. Even when I was younger, my favourite song to sing was ‘Thank you for the Music’ because music and singing is my life.
Q: What were your thoughts and feelings on Galleria’s Got Talent?
A: I definitely wasn’t calm coming up to the event. I think it’s because there’s so much pressure, singing in front of judges and the audience, hoping that they will enjoy my performance.
I also chose more difficult songs to sing (‘Listen’ by Beyonce and ‘I Have Nothing’ by Whitney Houston). I was really nervous to see how the audience and judges would react to my songs, because they’re so well-known.
Read also: Mall’s talent showcase carries life-changing prize
Q: Where else do you perform? Do you ever sing for charity events?
A: I’m part of the Born To Perform platform, so I perform wherever and whenever I get the opportunity to. I sing in shows that my singing teacher produces, charity events and do guest appearances.
Q: How do you feel about winning the amazing prize?
A: I never expected to win! My dad entered me, so I just went along for the experience and when I made it to the finals, I was so excited. When they announced me as the winner I was shocked! I have never won a competition before, so I was completely speechless. The fact that the prize was a trip for two to Los Angeles made winning even more unbelievable.
Q: Any remarks on the talent you were up against at Galleria’s Got Talent?
A: One of the reasons I didn’t think I’d ever win is because I was competing against dancers, as well as other singers, making the competition stiffer. I enjoyed every act and they all deserved to make it to the semi-finals and finals.
Q: Aside from singing, what are other hobbies and interests that fill your time?
A: I do acting, piano and dance classes, training in tap and ballet dancing. I love anything to do with the performing arts.
Q: What advice do you have for fellow performers or up and coming performers who are looking to take their talents to the stage and greater heights?
A: Believe in yourself, because anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
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