PHILIPSBURG:--- The Breakthrough finalists are into the last round of rehearsals for the upcoming TelCell Breakthrough Talent Search contest later this month, but will be taking a well-deserved break this Saturday, to receive some words of wisdom and encouragement from music star Omari Banks.
Show organizers say Omari offered his services after the names of the finalists were announced following a gruelling audition session on St. Maarten in August. Managers of the Summit Hotel, in Cupecoy, also jumped on board soon after to offer a venue for the gathering.
According to TelCell Breakthrough coordinator Angel Richardson, Omari knows only too well what the young stars in the making are going through, having been on that side of the stage himself many years ago when he won many talent shows as a youth.
One reviewer notes of Omari Banks’ music, “With a simple musical mission to spread messages of love and consciousness, his assimilation of traditional Jamaican Reggae music, accentuated with Rock and Blues backbeats, is an adult contemporary fusion that blends seamlessly with Lovers Rock and R ‘N’ B.
Omari received his own inspiration from his father, well-known musician, Bankie Banx, having sung his first song alongside “pops” in Milan Italy, while only a child. It has however generally been his own hard work and ambition to perform that has helped him to create some very personal and deeply moving music, which has topped regional charts and has also earned him international acclaim.
“We are so grateful to Omari for giving up his time and coming over from Anguilla to speak with the Breakthrough finalists and to also answer any questions they may have about the industry and how to navigate the talent in the Caribbean and wider afield,” said Angel.
She said the performers are “very excited” about Saturday’s gathering even if it means giving up some hours of their own rehearsal and practice time. Most are interested in the many stories Omari tells about his life as a cricketer and the first Anguillan to play for the West Indies, also about this travels around the world.
Angel has also thanked the Summit Hotel for hosting the star and allowing organizers to host the gathering of finalists there before they take to the stage at the Casino Royale, Maho, September 26.
