After months of searching and auditions, South Africa’s first ‘My Kid Rocks’ competition has revealed top young talent in the country
“Thank you for all the votes and support. I did not win but had a lot of fun and what an experience!"
Franco Cillie said he has loads of fun during the ‘My kid rocks’ competition.
“Thank you for all the votes and support. I did not win but had a lot of fun and what an experience! Lisa is a great performer and a lovely person. She deserves the win,” Franco said.
The ‘My Kid Rocks’ competition started as an idea Martin Bester had a couple of years ago. When the lockdown was enforced, the annual ‘My School Rocks’ competition couldn’t take place, and “it was the perfect opportunity to direct our focus and launch ‘My Kid Rocks.’” said Martin Bester, Jacaranda FM Breakfast Show host.
The competition attracted over a thousand video entries from every corner of South Africa, and after 10 weeks of searching for talent, three band members were selected by an independent Jacaranda FM panel.
The band members are Ruan Nel, 13 from Midrand who won the guitar round. Angelo Roman, 13 from Pretoria was selected as the bass guitar player, and Dominic McNabb, 13 from Pretoria was the number one choice for the drummer.
In the final round that took place this week, three vocal finalists performed live on air to battle it out for the bands’ top spot. 30 000 Jacaranda FM listeners read the vocal round article and 10 286 listeners had their say regarding the vocal round. Lisa Taylor, 15 from Krugersdorp was chosen as the lead vocalist of the ‘My Kid Rocks’ band by Martin Bester and an independent panel of judges.
Nick Jordaan from Rubber Duc said “I think ‘My Kid Rocks’ is such an incredible initiative and such a good way to find local talent at such a young age. I remember when I was young and in bands, we didn’t have a platform like that, and I’m so excited to hear what Jacaranda FM puts together.”
Now that this unique band has been formed, Bester and several other top musicians will coach the little rockers, assist with band management and gig opportunities. T
he young musicians will get their first taste of band life when they perform alongside Martin Bester on 15 December at Mall of Africa.
“This band is not only ridiculously talented, but we’ve created a world-class youth band to represent South African music. I’m planning on taking them on the road with me in 2021, and have a couple of other surprises up my sleeve – but for now, we’re working on creating an impressive performance next month at Mall of Africa,” commented Bester.
