Local singer Brittany Hayes is heading to the national stage after winning the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition in Thunder Bay this past weekend.
Along with a cash prize for her first place finish, Hayes will head to Toronto in November to represent Northern Ontario at the National Youth Talent Search.
“I am so excited,” Hayes gushed. “It’s going to be such an amazing experience. It’ll be like nothing I’ve ever, ever got to do before.
“It’s pretty much the biggest development in my vocal career, so I’m so pumped.”
Hayes was selected the best out of a field of ten competitors for her rendition of the Etta James classic “At Last.” The field in Thunder Bay this weekend was whittled down from 53 singers who competed in the preliminary round in June.
She left for Thunder Bay hoping to do well at the competition but pretty nervous—something she said isn’t unusual before a performance.
“I went up and did my thing, and it was so much fun. The crowd was very responsive. It was just a really good feeling out there overall,” she said.
And then, she was declared the winner.
“I did the cheesiest thing ever. You know the hands-to-your-face-in-surprise? I didn’t mean to do it, and honestly that’s the first reaction I had,” she laughed. “I was so incredibly excited. I wound up jumping up and down on my stage in my heels.”
After the show, one of the judges—who also works for the Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay—asked Hayes to audition for a new play the theatre is putting on. She said she’s not sure if she’ll do it—she’s attending a one-year course at Sheridan College near Toronto starting September—but still thought the opportunity was “really, really incredible.”
As for the $1,000 grand prize Hayes took home, “it’s going towards either college, or an RRSP and possibly a little bit of shopping,” she laughed.
And as thrilled as Hayes was with the win, she said her family was overwhelmed by the news.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever heard my grandma scream,” she said.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
