First year student wins first ever UWI Got Talent
“During my first performance on this grand stage, I started to tap my foot to my music and the crowd surprised me by clapping to the beat of my foot tapping!”
Emmanuel Joseph, 2020 winner of UWI Got Talent (UGT), reminisced on his performances and the experience of becoming the champion before a packed audience. The 19-year-old is a first year Humanities and Education student doing a major in Literatures in English and a double minor in Linguistics and Music. A pan player since the age of nine, versed on several types of pan, he wooed The UWI student population at every stage of UGT 2020.
The UWI St Augustine Students Guild Instagram page and flyers around campus informed Emmanuel about the competition but he initially had no interest in entering. He felt the need to stay under the radar and focus on his academic pursuit in his first year. Coming down to the wire, amidst the growing excitement, he signed up only two nights before the deadline. His audition was set for Thursday of that week at 1pm. He joked that he was early since he wanted to get in, audition, and get out as soon as possible. The sole instrumentalist, Emmanuel took this as his personal challenge. Each contestant had unique strengths: singers paint a picture that the audience can see in their mind’s eye with lyrics, dancers bond with the audience through body movements and words from their accompanying music, and the spoken word artiste tells an engaging story with crescendos and drama. A panist, though, has to capture the audience with just his instrument. “I had to be my unique self. I had to use everything I learned to connect with my audience with no lyrics!”
Emmanuel Joseph went from signing up, to auditions and call backs to standing among the top five at the final showdown. He felt great about both his performances, the first being without background music which allowed him the creativity and originality which the crowd exhilaratingly relished; the other expressed an upbeat vibe, delivered without rehearsal but the confidence of knowing his craft. “I felt privileged to be standing among these incredibly talented artistes. In the back of my mind, I really felt I could win this; but I kept that at bay and remained humble. The only appropriate response, after hearing my name as the UGT 2020 winner, was to lift my head up and say, ‘thank you God!’ then, congratulate all my fellow contestants.”
UGT 2020 was the first of its kind. Jarell Alder, Programme Coordinator at the Division of Student Services and Development (DSSD), identified its key objectives: provide a platform for students to share their creative talents on a grand stage, create a unique and diverse student experience by executing an event of extraordinary product value and, finally, to change the student perception of Administration, allowing students to see it as current, modern, and relevant. There were several stages, including two days of auditions with 120 performers, call backs, a photoshoot, and workshops with industry professionals, then the final. A DSSD team, led by Alder, executed the blueprint with the support of the Guild of Students, Coca Cola and other external and internal partners.
Learande Philip, 2019/2020 Public Relations Officer for the Guild, raved about the opportunity to be involved in a production of such magnitude, noting that the exposure and commitment required were highly developmental. Based on the overwhelming attendance and response from the student population, students are already ecstatic about UGT 2021.
One last word from Emmanuel Joseph. He believes the competition has brought him to another level in his professional career and urges future contestants to “use your strengths, improve on your weaknesses, and be open to advice. Make connections and enjoy the process; this is a great experience to have under your belt.”
