Under the bright lights on center stage, Cameron Sterling delivered the performance of her young life Saturday night.
Singing a rendition of Pink’s pop ballad, “Glitter in the Air”, the 11-year-old Kent girl brought out the wide range of her amazing voice, hitting the low bass to higher alto notes.
Ultimately, Sterling won over the judges, stunning the 15-contestant field to come away with the overall title and the $1,000 grand prize in the “So You Think Kent Has Talent!” show at the Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center.
The second annual talent contest raised money for Kent Youth and Family Services.
Sterling was as surprised as the audience when she was announced the winner of the finals.
“I was very surprised, very,” said Sterling, a fifth-grader at Horizon Elementary School. “I was surprised because there was a lot of good competition.”
Her proud mother, Candace Jackson, wasn’t surprised at all.
“She has an awesome voice,” she said.
Cameron’s father, William Sterling, says she began to sing before “she could talk.”
Sterling one day hopes to make a career out of her passion for music and singing. For now, she enjoys being just a kid who enjoys travel, camping, playing with her dogs and cats, and volunteering at Reber Ranch for the King County Animal Shelter.
Sterling also won $100 for winning the youth division crown.
Asked what she will do with all the prize money?
“I’m not sure,” she said with a smile. “I will think it over a lot.”
Kent’s Nathan Jacobsen, a Kentlake Idol winner, was second overall for his piano-vocal rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” Soprano saxophonist Andrey Chebotarev was third for playing “In My Dream.”
Bhangra Royalty (pictured below) – Kentlake’s Priyonka Golen, Priscilla Gollen, Manveer Kaur, Harleen Kaur, Sukhi Mahil – took the teen category for its rousing dance number.
David Hall and Cody Moody – a vocal-guitar act – received the audience favorite award for their number, “Scientist.”
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‘So You Think Kent Has Talent!’
Final results
Division winners
Youth: Cameron Sterling ($100 prize/Lance Timmerman Cosmetic Dentistry sponsor)
Teen: Bhangra Royalty – Priyonka Golen, Priscilla Gollen, Manveer Kaur, Harleen Kaur, Sukhi Mahil. ($100 prize/Nigel Cooper Photography)
Adult: Nathan Jacobsen ($100/Lemon Drop Skin Scare and Massage)
Overall
First place: Sterling ($1,000 grand prize/NFI Enterprises)
Second: Jacobsen ($500/Intimate Pilates)
Third: Andrey Chebotarev ($250/Baldwin Chiropractic)
Audience favorite: David Hall and Cody Moody ($50/Baldwin Chiropractic)
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