Chokolaate presents ‘Centerstage’ for talented youth

Teen magazine Chokolaate has over the years provided a platform for teenagers from around the island to showcase their many talents, not only through the pages of the magazine itself, but also through the pioneering events such as the Mother-Daughter Fashion Designer Contest, Book Swaps and Disney Movie Marathons. The most recent additions to this string of innovative events is ‘Centerstage 2016,’ Chokolaate’s version of a teen talent contest.

The Grand Finale of the singing competition will take place on 21 October at the Bishop’s College Auditorium from 5 p.m. onwards. The auditions for the competition took place on 28 September and the finalists comprising 12 gifted soloists, two groups and three bands are ready to battle it out.

The solo artist category consists of some exceptionally talented young men and women like Oshara Dalpethado, Manelki Emannuel, Anisha Kamalgoda, Nethma Wethalawe, Amanda Ramos, Shamara Rajendra, Senanya Jayathilaka, Acushla Mirihana, Thirani Karunatilaka, Rometh Suriyarachchi, Nayantara Atapattu and Dahami Fonseka. 

Oshara Dalpethado is 17 years old and is currently pursuing her studies at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya. Inspired by her mother’s voice Oshara also looks up to singers such as Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. Her talents do not end at singing as she is also a dancer. 

Manelki Emanuel is also 17 years old and is a past pupil of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya. She is currently following her higher studies in Marketing at NSBM. Having started singing at a young age, Manelki also is an artist.

Anisha Kamalgoda from Ladies College is 14 and is one of the youngest competitors in the solo category. She loves listening to pop music and hopes to bring her A game on the day of the Finals even though she has never been a part of any competitions. She mentioned that she gained the motivation needed to audition by attending a singing workshop called DiscoverYou organised by her church in collaboration with a team from Pasadena, California. 

Eighteen-year-old Nethma Wethalawe is a past pupil of Lyceum College, Panadura and is currently pursuing her higher studies at the College of Chemical Sciences. Nethma hopes to dazzle the crowd by performing a song called “Gift of a Friend” by Demi Lovato. 

Amanda Ramos is a 16-year-old music enthusiast from OKI International School, Wattala. Amanda plans on dazzling the crowd by performing one of Adele’s hit songs during the Grand Finale. Even though she started singing quite recently, she does not have any specific genres of music that she prefers. 

Shamara Rajendra is a student at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya and is 19. A young woman of many talents as she is also a very skilled workshop player who was taken part in plays such as Mr. Broadway and Les Miserables and also has a heart for dancing. 

Senanya Jayathilaka is 15 and is pursuing her studies at Lyceum College, Nugegoda. With her dad as her role model for hard work, devotion and determination, she hopes to channel all the amazing qualities and do justice to Adele’s hit song, ‘Make you feel my love’. 

Acushla Mirihana, 16, is a vocalist from Gateway College, Colombo. She is also a very skilled in sports and has a love for karate. She often tries to emulate and take inspiration from the singing powerhouse Beyoncé. Acushla hopes to sweep the crowd off their feet by performing a mash up of the hit songs, ‘Viva la Vida’ and ‘Titanium’. 

Thirani Karunathilaka, 17, is definitely an old soul who appreciates much more than some repetitive words and a pleasing beat. She will be channelling her inner oldies music enthusiast on the day of the finals as she hopes to deliver an amazing performance of Jennifer Rush’s, ‘Power of Love’.

Rometh Suriyarachchi, 14, is the other youngest competitor in the Solo Category.

Rometh is a student at Alethea International School. One of the biggest influencing factors came from his father and his ability to play the piano which also would’ve influenced his song choice as he will be performing, ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ by Sam Smith which is a very orchestral and emotional song. 

Nayantara Atapattu, 18, is a past pupil of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya. Currently, Nayantara is pursuing her higher studies in the field of Psychology at The Colombo Institute of Research and Psychology.

 Her knack for singing stems from her childhood and over the years, she has been a part of the worship team at her church and she has also been a part of Ashanti’s School of Music for about a year. 

Dahami Fonseka, 17, is pursuing Law and is in her second year. When she was young, she was told that she could not sing and although such a statement would have discouraged most kids, the remark motivated her. Since that day, Dahami has won all the singing competitions in school. 

In the group category are Balloons and Lollipops and another very talented young band called The Everknightz. 

Balloons and Lollipops consists of a brother-sister duo Athraja and Dhajini De Silva. Athraja is 18 and Dhajini is 15. When Dhajini started playing the piano, Athraja started playing the guitar just to get out of piano lessons.

The Everknightz is a group that creates Acapella music and also incorporates beat boxing and harmonisation in their works. The group comprises Clive, Gavin, Alister, Maleesha, Dinitha and Sanjeevraj, all of St. Benedict’s College.

Besides the talents of the contestants in the Solo Group Categories, more great talent was discovered during the auditions for the Band Category and three Bands were granted a spot in the Grand Finale. The names of the three bands are Pineapple Minions, FEEL and Plain T. 

Pineapple Minions consists of Shenaya, Kiran, Diylan and Yanilka. These young and talented stars are all products of Lyceum College, Nugegoda. The members of the band prefer rock music and they love to experiment with the music and create experimental music.

FEEL comprises Migara, Anuja, Maduranga, Hasintha, Ian and Adish. 

The band first started off as a result of them jamming together at the studios whenever they felt it. The band and their music have a sense of authenticity as they do not just wish to emulate and imitate the next big artist.

The third and the final band is Plain T. The band consists of Ashley, Nipun, Chrimesh, Dimantha and Tasha. The formation of the band came about as they all met each other at vocal lessons and decided to start jamming together. The members of the band are very fond of Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake. 

For tickets and more information on the grand finale please contact 0777 224645 or visit the event page on Facebook. Tickets are also available at the Bishop’s College Auditorium.