Janine Coombs - Ian Allen

Seventeen-year-old Janine Coombs was excited last Tuesday, after she heard that she was on her way to Los Angeles for two weeks.

The articulate Queen's student had all the reasons in the world to be thrilled after her essay and interview placed her as the top female in the Noise! summer camp essay competition, organised by THE STAR, Solid Agency and Muzak.com.

"When I first heard I was going on the trip, I was excited because I was keeping my fingers crossed the whole time from I was called in for the interview," said Janine, who left for the camp on Saturday and will return late July.

Janine, along with Mikhail Fearon, were awarded the two spots allotted to Jamaica for the first time at the summer camp held at Cal State University in Los Angeles.

The competition ran from June 20 to July 6, and gave 17-year-old kids a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles. They were asked to submit an essay on one of three topics about the Jamaican music industry. Writers of the top essays were invited for an interview with the top boy and girl being selected. Initially, only one spot was being awarded but another person was later added.

Both Janine and Mikhail will join 30 other students from across the United States who have an interest in music as a career.

Although Janine's face did not show the excitement she was feeling, her voice in the subsequent interview could not hide the euphoria as she spoke of what she hoped to gain from the experience.

"I hope to gain a first hand look in the industry and further my career in music," she said.

Janine said her interest in music began at age 12 when she started learning how to play the guitar. Since then, she has added instruments such as the keyboard and the harmonica to her list. To date, her interest in music has only grown and she wants to pursue music as a career.

"I'd want to produce jazz because there are not many jazz producers in Jamaica. But, I want to produce other genres such as reggae, blues and other areas. I listen to all genres of music so that's why I'd want to produce them," she said.

Janine who hopes to study music at one of four universities later this year, said her essay entitled 'Is dancehall recognised and understood on the international stage?' was not very difficult because information was available on the topic. She, however, admitted that it was hard to write.

Read THE STAR later this week for excerpts from Janine's essay