1 December 2018 will see the culmination of the increasingly popular Grenada Distillers National Karaoke Competition.
Now in its third year, participation in the competition continues to grow, as Distillers follows its self-imposed mandate of including all 7 parishes, across the length and breadth of Grenada and Carriacou. Following the preliminaries, the national competition has already entered the semi-final stage, and will finalise with 2 competitors from each parish taking the big stage at Spice Basket, Beaulieu, on 1 December.
Bernard Wilson, Marketing Manager for Guardian General Insurance (OECS) Ltd. himself a talented singer, shared his insights as to why the company has been a sponsor of the annual event since its inception, “of course karaoke is great fun, and a fantastic way to socialise. However, there is much more lying beneath the surface. It’s generally accepted as a great self-esteem and confidence booster, but the additional health benefits may come as quite a surprise,” he stated.
Research on some of the benefits of karaoke show that this popular past-time helps to stimulate brain activity. This is because following the rhythm, melody and lyrics of a song, when taking part in karaoke, pushes a person beyond what they would normally do when singing alone or to themselves. It can also act as a great stress reliever, because singing usually makes people happy, releasing endorphins that help to reduce both anxiety and stress. Additionally, our heart rate slows and we breathe properly when we sing a song we love!
An attendee at a number of the run-up events to the finals, Wilson added, “any initiative coordinated to provide a showcase for the enormous amount of local talent we have in Grenada, which also supplies a positive forum for building friendships, social connections and the putting aside of conflict, is to be applauded. We are very pleased to partner with Grenada Distillers in their National Karaoke competition and wish them every future success. We also trust that all of the finalists will be in good voice on 1 December and that they remember to enjoy the event themselves!” he concluded.
The 14 finalists will battle it out with one song of Caribbean origin and one of an International genre, to wrest the title from reigning champion Teddy Christopher of St Patrick.
Cash prizes for the winner and runners-up range from $1,000-$2,500. Entry to the competition is free.
Guardian General