OVER ten years ago, a Thurrock singing coach, Shana Elliott came up with the idea of Your Voice.
Your Voice was a monthly showcase for young singers.
Shana thought this would be a great chance to give them first experience of being on stage.
Getting used to everything, from turning up on time, where to stand on stage, microphone use to name just a few.
Shana felt that if they messed up then it was the right place with very little pressure.
Shana also had an eye for talent.
With the support of the manager of the Thameside Theatre, Mark Allinson, it ran for two years.
Over that time, a whole raft of talent came on to the stage.
In 2011, there was Louisa Johnson whose dusty dusky voice blew the whole audience away. Louisa went on to win the X factor. The rest was history. The film below has over 500,000 views on YouTube.
In 2012, Ruti from Corringham came on to the stage. She sang Nothing Real But Love.
A few years later, she wen ton to win The Voice. From a cold Wednesday in Grays, she went on to duet with Sir Tom Jones.
You may not have heard of Henrietta Adewole but you may well have seen her.
After leaving school, Henrietta got to the semi finals of Britain’s Got Talent. Since then she has gone on to plough her trade as a backing singer. She has cropped up backing John Newman and Rudimental to name just two.
Whatever happens to the Thameside, we would like to thanks people like Shana and Mark gave the young ones a chance.
Maybe grateful on-one sang Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi. You pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
