Tag: Talent

Tanner Massey – an adventure begins!

“Don’t just wish on a star; be a star”   Tanner Massey

Tanner MasseyIt is always exciting to introduce new talent to Torchlight Talent and 11-year-old Tanner is both brand new and amazingly talented! Tanner is a natural performer with a tangible passion for his art.

The Texas-born Oklahoma boy lives to sing! Tanner tells us on his YouTube channel:

“I love just about everything about singing. There are very few things about singing that I dislike right now!”

Tanner’s father told me the story of how he realised his son had real talent. They first noticed his amazing voice while he was singing along to a computer game! Tanner would always be singing – any time any place – and eventually they decided it was time to invest in voice lessons. After much searching, they found a singing teacher who was able to push Tanner in the right direction and, to hear him sing now, it would be easy to think that Tanner had been singing competitively all his life. Knowing that it has only been a matter of months suggests to me that there is a very exciting future ahead for Tanner – both vocally and for his music career.tksing1

Tanner has been heavily influenced by the voice and music of Bruno Mars and shares some of that highly 
successful singer’s easy tone and charming personality. However, Tanner also has a powerful voice with incredible dynamic potential and he hinted to me that there might be some power-ballad performances on the horizon. Tanner loves to sing and his enthusiasm comes across clearly in his performing. Not all recording artists are also able to hold an audience but, as well as having a naturally expressive voice, Tanner has a talent for communicating with crowds and individuals in a way that is very rare for one so young. Watch him performing live – click here: 

Tanner sings 'Hallelujah'

It may be surprising to hear that Tanner has struggled considerably with nerves to the extent that they would choke him up and prevent him from singing to his full potential. In the beginning, he flat out refused to sing in public and it took two months to convince him that he had a talent not to be wasted. Gradually, Tanner has been working to overcome these nerves and to hear him perform now you would think he was born on the stage! Much of this progress has been due to the encouragement he receives from his fans. In his own words:

Tanner in kitchen“I love support! I love people that cheer other people on and I love every single person right now!”

For a young artist in Tanner’s position at such an early stage of his career, a little encouragement will go a very long way. If you want to support youth music and make an enthusiastic 11-year-old smile, make sure you follow Tanner on whatever social media you use and let him know that you are behind him in his musical adventure:

As usual, I asked Tanner what advice he would give to other young people trying to achieve their musical dreams. He gave me a fantastic quote:

tannerdaredevil“Don’t just wish on a star; be a star!”

Tanner would like to thank Ray Sams and family (including his daughter, vocal artist Taylor Renee), Kevin and Laura Tatum (Heartland Opry) and ‘the many, many wonderful people on Twitter’ who have supported him in his journey. Tanner would especially like to thank his dad for driving to his gigs and always having his back.

“Thank you all (including Torchlight Talent) for being wonderful by getting Tanner’s name out to people.  We appreciate all you do.”  Tanner’s management

Ky Baldwin – Character and Charisma!

“Character first – talent second.”   Ky Baldwin

ky-baldwinSinger, songwriter, musician and dancer with a charismatic personality and a big heart: it is our honour and a delight to feature Sydney, Australia’s Ky Baldwin!

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Ky began his career as a dancer and it wasn’t until he reached 10-years-old that he started his first singing lessons. His teacher had him singing Michael Jackson who quickly became his biggest influence.

I asked Ky to describe his music:

“My music is pop – Tweeny pop if I were to be honest. But my latest song Lara is heading more towards radio Pop and would attract an older teenage audience. I do love all kinds of music though but I’m very Top 40 influenced in terms of my melodies. I write all my own music. I have 6 originals. I’d love to collaborate with others in the future.”

In 2011, Ky was a semi finalist on Australia’s Got Talent with his tap dancing abilities and he participated on The Voice Kids in 2014. Ky has performed in several musicals, such as “Love Never Dies”, “Under Milk Wood” and “Mary Poppins”, and has done TV commercials and films.

In October of last year Ky released his first EP  “The Beginning” with 4 original songs and 3 cover songs and he has since been producing a steady stream of songs and music videos. His latest original is a quirky, catchy collaboration with some other young stars Jamie Cumberlidge, Fletcher Pilon and Balin Rowley.

 

 

Ky has an infectious energy and enthusiasm and, as a result, his music and videos are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. One of his music videos is chasing 12 million views! Check them all out on his

YouTube Channel

opera-houseKy remains irrepressibly positive in his outlook though he is only too aware of the struggles and challenges of trying to make a career in the creative arts. I always make a point of emphasising how difficult it can be for young people starting out, especially boys, and I feel it is important to tell the whole truth – it’s not all fun and games! The internet has brought untold opportunities for good but also much potential for harm.

I asked Ky if he had ever had a major struggle or barrier to his career. I want to include a good amount of his response here. I do hope a time will come in the future when I stop hearing these stories, but until that day comes I believe it is so very important to keep raising awareness:

“I am physically very small with a high voice so get a bit of negativity about that and sometimes it is hard to be taken very seriously but it doesn’t bother me at all. I think it’s kind of silly that people judge a person on that and I actually quite like it.

I have had girls as young as 8 tell me they hate me when of course they don’t know me. I have been told I’m gay because my voice hasn’t dropped yet. It’s water off a ducks back to me, it actually just highlights their character, but I can’t help but think that this bullying online is becoming so common place that it has to leak out into the real world. I have girls all the time contact me that they are bullied and it’s so sad. I’d love us all to stop and think – is that really the person you want to be.”

Ky describes his guitar as his ‘best friend’ and it is where he turns to come up with his original melodies. Like most creatives, says that composing music gives him a real ‘buzz’. Sometimes the most creative minds are very introverted and find it hard to express how much their art means to them. Artists like Ky are a refreshing contrast: their delight in what they do is very evident when they perform!

benWith a rising star like Ky, there is huge potential to make a positive influence on other young people. It fills me with hope and excitement for the future when I see youngsters as talented as Ky adopting such a mature and compassionate nature. I asked Ky for his advice to other young people hoping to achieve their dreams and I would endorse his conclusions 100%! If only everyone in the music industry followed these guidelines, the music would all be phenomenal and the industry would be a much more positive environment:

 – My first advice is what my mum instills in myself and my sister often. Character first – talent second.
 – The second is no good to the world if the first is not achieved. The second thing is work hard and be confident and enjoy the journey.
 – The third thing which is equally as important is to get the right people to teach you and to be around you and never stop learning.

It must be acknowledged that, for a young artist, the parents and family around them are incredibly important. So many parents I know sacrifice so much to see their children fulfil their potential. Many choose to homeschool, use most of their income and savings, and sacrifice their own hopes and dreams for the sake of their children. Ky’s family is clearly one of these and it is wonderful that, even at a young age, he is very aware of this and chooses to acknowledge it:

“My family is my greatest strength, no doubt. They are my team and you are only as good as the team you have with you.”

Starlight Children's Foundation Annual Star Ball Charity Fund Raiser. Masquerade Ball
Starlight Children’s Foundation Annual Star Ball Charity Fund Raiser. Masquerade Ball

Ky’s dream is to be a touring artist. His first goal is to get one of his songs on the radio. He would like to write with Max Martin and to play with Taylor Swift. Taylor is another big influence on Ky and he emphasises that it is not only her song writing but her character that inspires him. If he is successful in his first goal, Ky would like to use that success to help the fight against homelessness and against bullying.

I asked Ky how we can best help and support him:

“I guess the best way that your readers can help me is to take a look at what I have. If you like it, share it, comment on it, buy it.”

Here are the links to his social media:

Starlight Children's Foundation Annual Star Ball Charity Fund Raiser. Masquerade Ball
Starlight Children’s Foundation Annual Star Ball Charity Fund Raiser. Masquerade Ball

 

And finally, Ky would like to thank some people!

“There are so many people I need to thank and the list keeps growing. Aside from the obvious, my mum, I always come back to Dein Perry and the Tap Pups for instilling the love of dance, Marianne Howard for planting the seed for performing and Robert RAab Stevenson who taught me how to sing. When I came to him 3½ years ago I couldn’t sing at all but wanted to. He could see I was willing to work hard and took me on as one of his students and his teaching is phenomenal. I now have lessons with his business partner, Mindy Pack who can solve any singing problem immediately. These two teachers I owe everything to. And most importantly – they always make it fun and it’s my favourite hour of the week.”