Entertainment

Reject reruns on 'Rising Stars'

By NATHELIE TAYLOR, STAR Writer

One of the more aged, yet active entrants on Sunday.

WHAT WOULD A MoBay 'Rising Stars' audition be without Changa Changa? Definitely a lot less interesting, that's for sure. This very eccentric Rasta was among a number of familiar faces that turned up at the Cornwall Beach in Montego Bay, St. James last weekend to make another bid for a share in the $1m booty being offered by Digicel and the chance to record tracks at the GeeJam Studios in Portland.

And, Changa Changa, whose correct name is Robert Young, was right in the mix. Clad outlandishly in an all-natural outfit, he created quite a stir as soon as he stepped through the gates, attracting people like bees to honeycomb. His appearance caused such a ruckus, that the taping had to pause for a few minutes while TVJ's Denise Hunt interviewed him.

His hyped entrance was only rivalled by his performance on-stage, a vigorous stomp and chant routine puntuated by the well-known refrain "A just Changa Changa", that had onlookers laughing to tears. It wasn't difficult to see why he was offered a call-back for day two.

Unimpressed

Yet, the judges on Sunday were not very impressed with his act at all. Of course, they were pleased to see him back and had a good chuckle at his fern-made vest and banana bark kilt. But, a weird outfit wasn't enough to advance him, and even Nadine Sutherland sounded disappointed that she couldn't let him move on. According to her, they had expected something different from him this time around.

Melville Gayle, more popularly known as Prince Jay, was among those who returned from last year. As confident as he was optimistic, Prince Jay brashly stated on Saturday that "I have returned to claim what is rightfully mine." He seemed prepared to do just that. As he thrilled his small but captive audience during his soul-stirring warm up, Prince Jay admitted that he had written his own song called Come Back, sheepishly adding that the song may be based on personal experiences.

Prince Jay easily conquered the hearts of onlookers and the judges, Roy Rayon and David Wedderburn, receiving one of the coveted 75 slips issued for call-backs. On Sunday, day two, his rich baritone again captured the judges. Nadine Sutherland seemed especially pleased to see him again, his talent impressed Clyde Mckenzie and even the usual cynical Anthony Miller could find nothing wrong with his performance. Once again, he moved one step closer to 'claiming what was rightfully his', slipping into the group of 35.

Unfortunately, Prince Jay's luck ran out when he needed it most as he was not among the final 10 chosen. He was, naturally, disappointed but said "I have no hard feelings against the judges" and that he may try again in Black River.

Lady Kay, born Karen James, was another memorable entrant from last year. This dub-poet/deejaying vendor was back with another original piece titled Mama and Papa, which focused on the struggles of her parents to raise her and her seven siblings. Her convincing portrayal of her childhood reality guaranteed her a call-back on Sunday.

Like Prince Jay, however, she too failed to make the final cut. Nadine was pleased to see Lady Kay again and Anthony even commended this shy, soft-spoken woman on the poignancy and realness of her song. But, that simply wasn't enough and she was sent packing again.

In the end, these rejected 'reruns', who were all loved last year, were left with two things in common ­ a burning desire to become Jamaica's next Rising Star and another rejection to deal with.