Jasmine Stacey’s low, rich and soulful singing voice gives no indication that the owner is only 12 years old.
Hearing her powerhouse renditions of classic evergreens like Gershwin’s Summertime and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, or contemporary tunes like Put Your Records On and Radioactive, a casual listener could be forgiven for believing she’s a much more mature performer.
YouTube channel performances aside, the fact is the South Surrey resident is a student at Peace Arch Elementary, where she plays saxophone in the Grade 7 band.
But Jasmine’s singing – which has already turned heads at such local events as the Diamond in the Rock Youth Talent Search (she was a monthly winner and contest finalist) – is winning attention much further afield, including interest from one of the producers of America’s Got Talent.
That came as a result of her recent appearance at the AMTC Winter Shine, a weeklong showcase for new talent in singing, acting and modeling held in Orlando, Fla. in January.
Jasmine, who joined the Atlanta-based talent organization in 2013, won first place in the overall child singer category as well as a special achievement award for her work at this year’s conference.
She was also one of only 42 performers, out of a field of 550, invited to perform in the event’s talent finale and one of eight chosen for a “sing-off” showcase.
“Performers came primarily from across the U.S., with some from Canada and some from South Africa,” Jasmine’s dad, Brian, told Peace Arch News.
“Of all the top winners in all the categories, Jasmine was the only Canadian,” he added.
In all, the exposure resulted in the singer receiving nine callbacks for interviews from talent executives in New York, Atlanta, Nashville and L.A., as well as the interest from America’s Got Talent, he said.
“Sadly, Canadians can’t compete (in that contest), but the recognition was nice,” Stacey said.
It’s been dramatic progress for Jasmine, a natural talent who only began singing lessons at the age of eight (she has also benefited from training in dance, guitar, piano and acting).
Shortly after beginning to study singing seriously, she was already performing occasional Peninsula restaurant gigs. And the next year (2012) she entered the PNT Idol contest sponsored by the Lower Mainland’s Filipino community (she has Filipino heritage), winning a monthly challenge and becoming one of the top finalists.
In addition to the Diamond In the Rock Talent Search in 2013, and other contests since, she has also gained experience singing and playing guitar in the youth group Girl Code, and performing at one of the City of Surrey’s Movies Under The Stars events at Holland Park.
To view some of Jasmine’s recent performances, visit her YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/BebeLuzTante