A young singer from Laois is hopeful of making an appearance on our TV screens tomorrow night.
Ireland’s Got Talent, a spin-off of the popular reality show Britain’s Got Talent, will air for the first time on TV3 at 7.30pm.
Stevie James Kelly, originally from Spink but now living in Mountmellick, auditioned for the show last December and is hopeful he will make the cut to appear on TV.
Around 15,000 people entered Ireland’s Got Talent, where the top prize is €50,000, but just 97 managed to get on stage in front of the four judges.
Stevie James can’t reveal how he got on, but, speaking to LaoisToday, he said there is a good chance he will be on TV.
He said: “I can’t say how it went but I was interviewed on the spin-off show, Ireland’s Got More Talent, too so you’d be hopeful.
“That interview was done with Glenda Gilson and James Kavanagh so that was good too.”
Stevie revealed that his audition in front of the judges took place in December but he had to go through a number of stages to even get that far.
He said: “I went to Drogheda back on the 6th of December to audition in front of the judges but I had to get through two stages before then.
“But the process began way before that when I had to send a video and an application via email.
“Then I went for a private interview in Dun Laoghaire and after that I had made it into the final 97 from around 15,000.”
Stevie is just one of the, according to TV3, thousands who applied in the biggest ever Irish talent search.
From young to old, puppeteers to aerial artists, talent from all walks of life will take to the stage in a bid to impress the judges, Denise Van Outen, Jason Byrne, Michelle Visage and Louis Walsh.
Van Outen is an actor, singer, dancer and presenter and has been in showbiz for nearly 30 years while Jason Byrne is one of Ireland’s best loved comedians and regularly tours sold out gigs all over the world.
Michelle Visage started out as a singer in 1990 with R&B group Seduction and then moved into TV. In 2011, she became a judge on the hugely popular RuPaul’s Drag Race.
While the final judge is Louis Walsh who is probably one of the country’s best known faces of Irish music.
He is the maestro behind two of the most successful pop bands this country has ever produced, Boyzone and Westlife.
Stevie James had some things to say about some of the judges.
He said: “Michelle was very scary. When I shook her hand she almost pulled mine off.
“Louis was the nicest. He was surprised when I said I was from Laois and we had good craic up on stage together.”
Stevie said he enjoyed the whole experience and for someone who has been singing and writing songs for the past five years, the 24-year-old would recommend it for everyone.
Stevie James has also been nominated in the best singer category for the International Runaway and Recognition Awards in March.
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