Francine Black, Staff Reporter

Sebastian Pierre - Nathaniel Stewart

Sebastian Pierre never thought that when he won the Digicel Rising Stars competition in Haiti, he would catapult to superstar status in his country almost immediately.

He won the title on September 6 and less than two months later, he is living his dream and already travelling outside his country to showcase his talent. This is something that he thoroughly enjoys. "This has always been my dream," he told The STAR.

Tunes in Creole

The 16-year-old is the second winner of the Rising Stars competition in Haiti and won after performing over several weeks, doing tunes in Creole (the local dialect), English, French and Spanish.

Although he barely speaks English, Pierre managed to woo many girls in the crowd with his rendition of R Kelly's The World's Greatest at the Digicel Rising Stars concert held at Mas Camp Village in St Andrew on Friday.

Valerie Marcel, his manager, and producer of the show in Haiti translated for Pierre, who described his performance in Jamaica as 'overwhelming'. He also said the response he received from the audience made him feel at home although he could not understand what they were saying.

Superstar status

The most striking thing about winning, he says, is that it has elevated him to superstar status overnight in Haiti. "Digicel Rising Stars has brought a lot for me. I am known outside Haiti and it's very, very good for me. I never thought I would be a superstar," he said.

Pierre says his family has been very supportive and now that he is looking to pursue his music career, he says this will be done while balancing his studies. "I am gonna hold on through school because I think it's important that I do," he said.

However he says he will still be doing shows and working on projects, so we can expect more from him in the future.