Dalton Harris - File

As the dust settles on the win of 16-year-old Dalton Harris as the new Digicel Jamaica Rising Star, the youngster says that it's not a challenge grappling with his new found success.

Harris was announced the winner of the seventh season of Rising Stars last Sunday night at the Courtleigh auditorium in a showdown with female singer Camaley.

In an emotional win, Harris was speechless and in shock at becoming the new rising star. Since winning the competition Harris has been back at school at Edwin Allen High. Currently in fourth form, Harris is the youngest winner of the competition thus far.

He told THE WEEKEND STAR recently, "it's been good, I've been managing well, it's not that big of deal me being young. It would have been a challenge if I was 14 or 15 or 26 years old. To me it's just normal. When you're in the competition you adjust to the starlight and you have to walk and talk like a star, people look up to you and you're a role model."

Since returning to school, Harris, the Clarendon native, says it's all been good and he's been getting a lot of love from his classmates and teachers. With his new found stardom, however, comes a lot of attention as he laughingly said, "its been fun, its been a challenge being by myself though, I can't go anywhere alone. Walking to the canteen or on the corridors people are always around me, surrounding me. But I have my two cousins to help me."

According to the youngster, when he finishes school he wants to become a teacher and to do music, and has plans to do music while still in school. "Music is what I want to do full term," he said. For the future he hopes to do work with the likes of Romain Virgo, Shaggy and Tarrus Riley.

Harris was a clear contender for the Rising Stars title from the outset of the competition where he was constantly compared to Rising Stars 2007 winner Romain Virgo. While he was a favourite of the judges in the beginning, he was slowly outshined by other contestants before coming back with memorable performances such as his rendition of I'm Walking Away and Air Supply's Nothing At All.