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Chantal 'Tash' Lamont raises her replica cheque for $1 million after overcoming stiff competition to win last weekend's Digicel Rising Stars 2011 competition. - Colin Hamilton
It takes guts to go in front of an audience each week, but the most difficult part in trying to win a local talent contest comes in the form of campaigning to get votes.
After winning Digicel Rising Stars last weekend, Tash noted that campaigning was one of the hardest parts of winning the competition.
"Campaigning was getting hard. Yuh ask people for the money and they are like dem nah give me," she told THE STAR after she was announced as the winner.
She added that "we couldn't get phone cards to buy this morning and the phones start giving problems to vote."
Last year, the smooth sounding Press Fyah sped ahead of his competitors to win Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall. However, Press Fyah noted that the tedious task of garnering votes almost forced him to give up on his quest.
"It was very difficult 'cause campaigning a nuh one easy thing, especially when you have a nine-to-five. I am also a firefighter, so it was really hard to balance. Yuh haffi put in yuh hard work and yuh haffi very determined," he told THE STAR.
In addition to walking the streets to get donations to buy phone cards for voting, he said some of the persons who were approached made the process even harder.
"Almost everybody yuh go to, yuh haffi sing. Nobody nuh just put money inna yuh pan unless yuh a sing. I used to keep Press Fyah Tuesdays so that give me whole heap a strength," he said.
Now that the competition is over, Press Fyah said he is searching for a manager to help keep his career afloat. Nonetheless, he said he has new songs like Many Men, She Gone and Strong And Firm.
Meanwhile, Suga, who won Digicel Rising Stars in 2009 with the name Brown Sugar, sang a different tune. She said her campaigning had not been as difficult.
"From the exposure that was given on the show, I didn't have to do much. It neva so rough. Only some people weh mi go to would seh a recession time," she told THE STAR, adding that she also hosted Brown Sugar Wednesdays to help raise funds for voting.
Romain Virgo, who copped the Digicel Rising Stars top title in 2009, explained that he also held events in his community to raise funds for voting. But for him, winning the competition required a lot more.
"A whole heap a commitment and sacrifice mi haffi mek throughout the whole thing. Rehearsals and knowing the songs is one of the most important parts of winning the competition. Yuh haffi just block everything else when you are in a competition and know that you are in it to win," he said, noting that travelling from St Ann to Kingston was also very taxing on him.
Suga. - Gladstone Taylor
Press Fyah. - Colin Hamilton
