Hastings got talent

Love it, loathe it, or simply enjoy it in a guilty pleasure kind of way; but whatever you think, it’s hard to ignore the impact that the long-running ITV show, ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ has had on the country and its television viewing habits. Last week, auditions for the 2017 series took place in Hastings. Toby Sargent finds out what happened.

Sadly, but not all surprisingly, neither Ant, Dec nor Simon actually turned up to the 2017 Britain’s Got Talent auditions in Priory Meadow Shopping Centre in Hastings last Saturday (17 September). That’s because this was simply an audition for the main event, due to lumber onto our screens next year as it has done for ten years now. Equivalent events will be happening all over the country. And it won’t be until next year that the wannabes from Hastings will hear whether they’ve made it the next stage, in front of the celebrity judges.

Ukulele Player Georgia Starkin hoping to get her big break in 2017 Photo Tony Coombes

Live in hope

So for now we have to live in hope but, by all accounts, the town put up a good show with, among many others, a ten-year-old rap artist and a 13-year-old schoolgirl who taught herself to play the ukulele. The former was 10-year-old St Paul’s Primary schoolgirl, Tawana Matiza, who performed a rap number she had created herself all about her home town of Hastings.

Her dad, Kudzanai, said: “Music is her life. It’s always been her dream to be a singer and to entertain people. She’s started to write a few numbers herself and she also sings other people’s songs. She likes all kinds of music but is a big fan of rap and very good at it too.”

Our ukulele-playing starlet-in-waiting was Georgia Starkin, 13, who taught herself to play the instrument, now undergoing a boom in popularity in school music groups, after putting one on her Christmas wish list a couple of years ago.

Performing is in her blood

“I don’t go to classes to learn it, but I try to practice nearly every day after school. I enjoy playing all kinds of music on it, especially pop songs,” said Georgia of St Helens Down, Hastings. And it seems that performing is in her blood as she also enjoys piano lessons and takes classes at Hastings Stage Studio, School of Performing Arts. She is studying music for her GCSE examinations at Robertsbridge Community College.

Her mum, Laura said: “Georgia’s always loved music and puts a lot of work into it. We were very proud of her when she completely taught herself to play the ukulele without any tuition whatsoever and she has achieved a high standard for her age.”

Also auditioning was Lacey Miles who performed a version of Justin Bieber’s hit, Love Yourself. She too had a mum – Kara – who was rooting for her all the way. Kara said: “Lacey was amazing. We were up nearly all night practising because we only heard about the auditions the night before and Lacey had done no preparation for them. So we all helped her to brush up and get ready to give a good performance.”

Emotional

Lacey Miles with her mum after her audition. Photo Tony Coombes

Lacey, a pupil of St Leonards Primary Academy, is inspired by her late father, George Georgiou, when she sings. “He died of a heart attack when Lacey was just eight months old and although she never really knew him, she’s always asked a lot about him,” explained Kara. “We’ve told her so much about her dad and how much he loved her that she still feels very emotional about him and she’s inherited some of his character. He’d be very proud to see her singing on stage.”

Like Georgia, Lacey has more than one entertainment string to her bow. She’s a keen dancer, a trophy winning gymnast and member of the popular Tornados Twirlers entertainment troupe in Hastings.