As a local songstress prepares for her Prince George swan song, she's helping to launch the career of a new vocal talent.
Last night, Sheena Burgess was crowned as the very first Prince George Idol after weeks of competition created by vocal teacher Dawn Boudreau.
Out of six finalists and 25 total contestants, who each gave it their all in the sweltering ArtSpace in front of a packed house, Burgess took the top prize, which included $400 cash, a concert at Nancy O's, a performance slot at next year's Coldsnap Festival and vocal/performance coaching.
Caitlyn Macaulay took second and Paige Marriott third. The other finalists were Kyra Kristmanson, Kayla Gregory, Jen Moorhead, Theresa Jordan and Jessey Dacosta.
Burgess, a nurse in Quesnel, said she was "overwhelmed" by her win.
"This is just crazy," she told the Citizen after accepting flowers and hugs and signing autographs for her new fans.
The singer, who has a love for jazz and blues, took the lion's share of the audience vote after growling though a rendition of Janis Joplin's Turtle Blues and serenading the crowd with Sarah McLachlan's In the Arms of an Angel.
Though she took part in choirs while in school, Burgess has never taken formal voice lessons and said she has simply done her own thing, with music filling her days from morning to night.
"It's just consistent," she said, adding she jumped at the chance to enter the competition as soon as she heard about it.
"I had never done anything like it before," said Burgess, though she added she has always been encouraged to try out for Canadian Idol. "With this being right here in Prince George, it was perfect."
That proximity was something Boudreau had in mind when she launched the contest back in May.
"I thought, we should do one locally that's not so expensive for people who don't have $600 to travel to Ontario," she said.
The inaugural competition marks the beginning of Boudreau's last year in Prince George, as she prepares to move to Vancouver after spending the last decade training local singers. However, after the success and excitement of the contest, Boudreau is already making plans to return to town to run it again next year, despite getting emotional at any elimination stage.
"It's not really my personality. I've always said, I'm no Simon [Cowell]." But after seeing the level of talent showcased by the entrants, half of which were not her students, Boudreau was wowed by the potential.
"Everybody has a song in them, everybody is amazing and everybody has something to offer," Boudreau said.
