Junior CGT: Down to the final six!

Wow, this is it, six grand finalists, a €5,000 cash prize fund and one massive St. Patrick’s Day grand finale to see who will take the title of Junior CGT 2013 Winner!

Sunday last proved a big day for the eight semi-finalists and their families as the show has become all consuming. For the first time the acts had to perform two songs each, giving them the opportunity to show their full range and variation. Despite the added pressure, everyone took on the challenge with gusto, with full costume changes, impressive staging, and very different song choices. Everyone of these children have put their heart and soul into doing their very best and we applaud them all.

First to grace the stage was Ms Caoimhe Sexton, singing ‘Lean On Me’ by Bill Withers. Always daunting opening the show, but especially as the crowd grows bigger and bigger, and with the addition of camera men and large screens, it’s not for the faint-hearted. A difficult song to sing, Caoimhe was a little shaky at the start but found her comfort zone and got the crowd going. The song was a little too low in places for Caoimhe’s voice, but as always she made it her own and beamed with confidence.

She opened the second half with a cracking rendition of ‘Forget You’ by Cello Green. A proper little pop princess, she was energetic, entertaining and put a huge effort. Undeniably a natural performer, the stage and the world of amateur dramatics is definitely the place for this little lady. (7, 7) (8, 8)

 

Shone

Love Me by Colin Raye was the first song of choice for Chloe Bannon, who this showed a slightly different side to her voice. Chloe’s timing and clarity produced a very sweet performance with a much stronger vocal than last week with good comments from the judges. But it was with her second number - ‘Part of Your World’ from The Little Mermaid - through which Chloe really shone this week. Dressed in a beautiful sea blue dress with a daisy chain in hair band, Chloe was 'home' as Judge Vanessa described it. Lauded as 'captivating' it was her best performance to date, and it was a performance as opposed to just a song. Thisis theatrical genre really works for Chloe. She has a great stage presence and plays to the audience making eye contact and connecting. If she carries on down this road, the West End could beckon for this Ballyconnell belle. (8, 7) (8, 9)

Anthony O’Hanlon’s cover of Beyonce’s ‘The Best Thing I Never Had’ was arguably one of the best things Junior CGT ever had. It is rare solo boys come to the fore in this style of competition, but Ballyhaise boy Anthony has come alive over the last five weeks. Having reached the ripe old age of 11 during the week a packed house in the Imperial sang Happy Birthday. This cool dude has grown so much in such a short space of time. certainly put the effort into looking the part starting off with his back to the audience dramatically removing and discarding his jacket to reveal a full wrap of tattoos on both arms, a sleeveless Jay-z t-shirt and dog tags. Fear not mums – they weren’t real! He owned the stage and is challenging himself and his vocal range every week with huge songs. His second song could not have been more of a contrast with Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. A monster of a song to take on and get right, and Anthony did both as his voice soared, giving a performance full of emotion for a young boy. (9, 9) (8, 8)

Bethany Smith looked fabulous when covering ‘Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word’, the Mocking Bird remix. While Bethany has struggled with her confidence, she is one of the contestants to have grown the most in overcoming her nerves. Her R ‘n’ B song choices really worked for her, and her rap in the first song would give Cher Lloyd a run for her money - a beautiful confident performance. Bethany’s second song, ‘Pricetag’ unfortunately went a little awry. Singing the body of the song very well she was thrown by the rap in the middle. Full credit to her, she carried on right to the end and put a huge effort in with her outfit and staging. Very unfortunately she found herself in the bottom three and didn’t make it through to the final, but Bethany must remember how far she has come. On the first show she was holding onto the microphone stand for dear life; five weeks on she was comfortable on stage and rapping with attitude. Well done Bethany. (8, 9) (7, 8)

Emma Guilfoyle brought us the Amy Winehouse number Valerie, oozing confidence and looking super-cute. The 10-year-old’s vocals have grown stronger over the life of the show. Smiling as always Emma brought a warm glow to the whole experience. Starting down on the steps and making her way up, she has learned to work the stage with ease and with her second song choice, ABBA’s Mamma Mia, she really brought the place to life. What a wonderful tribute to her mum on Mother’s Day who was beaming with pride in the audience. Looking absolutely beautiful in a white dress and flower in her hair, the audience loved her. However at this stage of the competition not everyone can make it through to the final and it is with sadness we say that Emma also found herself in the bottom three. With the audience chanting her name at the end, Emma has definitely won the heart of the people. She is a very tuned in, confident little lady and at such an early stage in her life, we are quite certain this won’t be the last stage she steps on. Well done Emma. (7, 8) (7, 7)

 

Rocked

With Rock Me from One Direction, Leon Jermyn put in a great effort. It’s very difficult when a solo performer takes on the work of 4 or 5 vocals in a band, the impact will never really be the same but Leon rocked the stage, he worked the camera and shows, both a confidence and attitude that will hold any artist in good stead. A little pitchy in places, it may not have been the best song choice for him. For his second number he brought us ‘Give Me Love’ by Ed Sheeran. After a very good start, Leon unfortunately went out of key midway through. He didn’t however let it affect him on stage and brave in his staging he come down the steps and walked right down to the judges at one point, adding a little drama to the performance. The judges commended him on his confidence and suggested he might think about taking up guitar as an addition to his singing as some artists find it incredibly difficult working with backing tracks. (7, 7) (6, 7)

Hannah O’Reilly performed ‘One Time’, another One Direction number. Unfamiliar with the track we suggest the judges may have to update their iPods to stay on top of things for our younger contestants. With her own unique style Hannah stripped it back a little and did a lovely version. Her phrasing was very good and being the only musician left in the contest, Hannah’s take on things tend to be a little different to her contempories. Her vocals have become stronger and she beefed up her guitar work towards the end of the song. For her second song ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ by Johnny Cash, Hannah was joined on guitar by her sister Emma. The duo worked well together and it gave a new dynamic to her perfomance. The song choice warranted a fuller sound and the addition of Emma’s second guitar in this case succeeded in providing the backdrop to Hannah’s vocals. Sporting a pair of dark sunglasses for the occasion, she seemed more at ease and confident. (9, 9) (9, 9)

 

Perfect

Alanna Donohoe celebrated her 13th birthday with us a couple of weeks ago on the show and she had reason to be celebrating again on Sunday last as she received top scores all round. Dressed in a stunning black lace dress, Alanna performed ‘Stay’ by Rhianna. It is no exaggeration to say that the performance witnessed on Sunday afternoon in the Imperial would rival that of Rhianna herself. Quite a statement! The delivery, her vocal control and the dynamics of this particular song were just perfect. Alanna has grown in this contest, and at such a young age there is still so much more to achieve and develop. Having changed into a beautiful orange number she owned the stage once again. As she closed the show with her second song choice, ‘Girl on Fire’ by Alicia Keyes, she really was on fire. With a voice that is already so well developed and an awareness of her performance it is a pleasure to witness this young talent on display on our own doorstep. At this very early stage she is captivating, one can only dream of what the future might hold. (10,10) (10,10)

So the time has come, the Grand Final of the first ever Junior CGT takes place this Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day in the Imperial, Cavan at the slightly later time of 5pm to accommodate parades and activities taking place around the county. However please note with doors open at 4.15pm, the show will start at 5pm with no delays. Each act will perform twice with one new song choice and one of their favourite performances in the contest to date.

With a mind blowing €5,000 cash prize fund to be won on Sunday this is an event not to be missed. Please arrive early and all children must be accompanied by their parents.

Tune into the Green Room on cavantv.com live on Wednesday at 7.30pm to see a special interview with the six lucky finalists along with producer Linda O’Reilly, and to check out more fantastic photos from the show, find us on facebook, on the cavans got talent and junior cavans got talent pages.