Curtela Lewis stands out. A singer, she has been outstanding since she came to the general public’s attention in the Guyana Talent Search Competition. Her consistency secured her a spot in the final and she is one of the ten winners of the inaugural competition.
With her father, Curtis Lewis being one of the founding members of the longstanding group, Dynamic Force, music has always been a part of Curtela’s life. She recalled singing from as young as four years old while attending nursery school. Her performances extended to her church life also; she sang in church, sometimes in a duet with her father.
“When I am singing I get to express myself. Usually I’m a shy person but onstage, I really get to show more of myself,” she said.
The 17-year-old who is currently pursuing an associate degree in Biology at the University of Guyana shared that her signing up for the competition was her father’s doing. “He encouraged me to post the video of myself auditioning because I was a little hesitant. But after I learnt that I got in, I was very excited,” recalled Curtela.
Excitement and having had years of practice did not make it any easier for her when she first stood in front of the judges to sing. Curtela confided that it took a lot of courage for her to perform in front of the judges and online viewers from across the world, adding that she was really nervous. But with rehearsals and each new episode of the talent show, she grew confident in herself. Throughout the competition, her music genres varied, from Soul to Pop to R&B.
Curtela in conversation and Curtela on stage are two different personalities. One would never believe that the soft-spoken Curtela was the same young woman who rocked Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” in the final, garnering much praise from viewers.
Initially, she said, she was going for a more subtle song, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, but when she shared this with the team from the ministry in charge of the competition, they persuaded her to go for a more upbeat song and they were definitely not wrong to do so. While viewers had already seen her talent months ago during prior performances, “Proud Mary” forced Curtela to step outside of herself and she gave a powerful performance, displaying a side of her never before seen.
“I worked on this performance a lot. I spent four days rehearsing ‘Proud Mary’. I’m very pleased with myself and happy with the way things turned out,” shared Curtela.
The competition has been quite an experience. Along with a boost in confidence, Curtela said, she learned how to use the stage, express her emotions and interact with the audience instead of standing in one place throughout her performance. Among the best takeaways was making new friends; she particularly bonded with singers Nia Allen, Cassie Adams and Shevon Persaud. The first two made it to the final with her, but Shevon only got as far as the semi-finals. With the competition having ended, the girls have stayed in touch on social media.
The competition, Curtela said, provided an avenue for socialisation, though strict COVID-19 protocols were maintained. For her, their distanced interactions were better than nothing as after a year of being at home, the Guyana Talent Search was a breath of fresh air.
Asked what her favourite part was, Curtela said it was performing at the Flag Raising Ceremony for Independence Day with the other contestants. She shared that they went from competing against each other to rehearsing together for the occasion, which for her was really the highlight of it all. “We really bonded during that time,” reminisced the singer.
One of her challenges, she shared, was having to be at rehearsals every day. While she loved it, commuting to and from Nabaclis on the East Coast Demerara and Georgetown was tiresome, more so for her pregnant mother who accompanied her. Rehearsals, she said, lasted several hours.
Expert in creative arts Sean Bhola was the designated mentor for the contestants throughout the competition. However, Curtela’s training did not stop at rehearsals as she had her father for her personal mentor, and he worked assiduously in ensuring she was ready every time she took the stage.
Each of the ten finalists, now all declared as having won the competition, will receive $500,000, mentor sessions with US-based Guyanese rapper and singer Saint Jhn, and be registered as an artiste.
Asked how she felt about there being ten winners instead of one, Curtela said she believes the judges had a hard job of selecting one person as not only was there a diversity of talent, but it was a stiff competition with everyone doing remarkably well. She said she was in agreement with the conclusion and was grateful to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for wanting to make all of the finalists winners.
Aside from singing, Curtela loves drawing and designing and usually finds herself tasked with this by her two younger sisters when they have assignments.
Curtela has her work cut out for her as she has her sights set on becoming a paediatrician and hopes to perform internationally also. The singer said that with her family as her biggest supporters, especially her father, she is sure everything will turn out alright.
