Wow! What a night of amazing performances from an incredibly talented group of singers!
This competition was more than we ever imagined it to be! From Kingston to Windsor, 12 vocalists came out to perform in our very first Diamond in the Rough competition. Every singer was extremely talented in their own right which made the judge's decision a very difficult task. In fact, after a lengthy deliberation, three winners were finally announced!
CONGRATULATIONS to Cameron Tania & Mellow Lily who shared the title of this year’s Diamond in the Rough competition! Both winners took home a cash prize, a professionally produced original song by Michael Hanson and a global distribution deal from Right Arm Productions! Donnie O was named runner-up and will work with Chad Charles Campbell & Michael Hanson to produce a professional track in the studio!
The night was filled with amazing performances, personal accomplishments (Selena found her voice!) and inspiring new connections between competitors! Please support our competitors by following them on social media and downloading their music on streaming platforms where available. (See their links and bios below)
We have many other people to thank who made this event possible:
Our amazing panel of judges - Melinda Rewbury, Linda Tamburri & Michael Hanson
The funniest and most professional MC around - Bryan Jones
Our dedicated Ticket Master and doorman extraordinaire - Roy Jones
Our Right-Hand man - Jason 'Robi' Robison
Our family & friends who came out to support us and help out
All of the hard-working staff at Shoeless Joe’s
We are so proud of the incredible success of our first Diamond in the Rough singing talent search and can’t wait to see what next year’s competition will bring!
A short compilation of the 12 competitors!
Mellow Lily is an award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalistbased in Kingston, Ontario. Her original ukulele material is reminiscent of Ingrid Michaelson and Grace Vanderwaal, with her strong vocals and uplifting riffs. With many of her songs available on all streaming platforms, and some recorded in a Nashville studio, she is an up-and-coming artist you won’t want to miss! Check out Mellow Lily's YouTube video to hear her beautiful original song titled, Newfoundland Bound!
Selena is a 21-year-old solo vocalist. What makes Selena unique is that she was diagnosed with autism. From 4-13 years old, Selena was considered non-communicative. She was living in Toronto at the time and moved to Fort Erie in 2013. When she moved, Selena enrolled in music therapy and incredible things began happening!
Today, Selena performs all over the Niagara Region for various types of events. Some include anthem performances for the Fort Erie racetrack, Niagara River Lions, Niagara Ice Dogs, Welland Jackfish plus many more! Selena also performed at our Mayors inauguration ceremony and at several other various venues.
Selena’s goal is to spread awareness of not only Autism but all Mental Health challenges.
Nick Hedden is a Canadian country music singer and songwriter from Windsor, Ontario. Nick’s love for music was evident at a young age—he began playing guitar at the tender age of five and began singing a few years later. His musical inspirations are very diverse and include Country, Motown and Classic Rock—Ray Charles, Garth Brooks, Luke Combs and Ed Sheeran. Nick went #1 on the New Music Weekly Indie Country charts and stayed at #1 for 3 consecutive weeks with his hit song “Wish You Could Be My Girl". Nick's two recent releases have amassed over 500,000 Spotify streams and continues to climb and be added to playlists all across the globe. His unique sound is like no other in the business, his rich and soulful voice creates a perfect blend of contemporary country and pop.
Check out Nick on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram or his NickHeddenMusic website!
Known as Toronto’s “Plus Size Pop Princess,” Cameron Tania is a queer and neurodivergent theatre pop singer-songwriter who advocates for LGBTQ2+ Rights, Neurodivergent Accessibility, Addiction Recovery, Domestic Abuse Awareness, and Fat Liberation. Cameron Tania fearlessly embraces their love for musical theatre and emphasizes elements of contemporary blues and acoustic folk- pop production in her songwriting. Cameron’s authentic storytelling, bitter lyrical honesty, and soothing vocals create a deeply emotional and safe auditory space for her fans. With 65K followers combined, Cameron values strong fan engagement which is evident in her growing 3.4 million likes on TikTok. With over 40 music compositions, including their heartbreaking debut EP, "Alone on Fire," released in February 2021, Cameron Tania has quickly become a rising star in Canada’s contemporary pop scene. In 2022, Cameron won “Songwriter of the Year” at the 2022 OMAs with three different category nominations “Durham Song of the Year”, “Emerging Artist of the Year”, and “Songwriter of the Year”. In addition, she won first place in Oshawa Music Week’s 2022 “Songs Revealed” songwriting competition. This past June they graduated with honours from Seneca Polythecnic’s Songwriting and Performance Program. Check out Cameron on TikTok, LinkTree, Instagram, Spotify or their CameronTaniaMusic website!
Hailey Shepstone (J.A.S.) is enrolled to be an undergrad in Western University’s Popular Music Studies Program in the fall. She is 17 years old and has been doing open mics since July 2022 which led to a few gigs. She is self-taught on a variety of instruments, including, trumpet, voice, guitar, piano, etc. and has only been taking music lessons since September 2022. With the help of people like Victor Morgado, C.D. Onofrio, and Ryan Lunn, this singer/songwriter has started to make a name for themselves in the music community. Her stage name stands for “Just Another Stranger” which is derived from her favourite book quote, “He knew the dream chose the dreamer, not the other way around,” (Strange The Dreamer - Laini Taylor). On top of writing and playing music, she is also a collector of a variety of things, loves reading and writing, and enjoys the outdoors. Furthermore, she is participating in the Opening Act competition online for a chance to open at the next We Will Survive concert, $10,000, and other prizes. The contest relies on votes from the public. Everyone gets one free vote, and the link can be found HERE! Check out Hailey on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube!
Born and raised in Hamilton, David has been playing music since an early age. He first started with piano lessons at 10 years old but eventually switched to guitar at 14. David played for a number of years with his church's worship team. It wasn't until recent years that David started playing in front of open mic and busking audiences. Inspired by the likes of Jack Johnson, The Lumineers and Ray Lamontagne, David plays music as a form of stress release and to cope with anxiety and depression. His goal is to one day write his own songs and have them released. Check out David on Instagram!
A college student from Kingston Ontario, Marissa's been singing her whole life. She recently released her own music on streaming platforms and hopes to make a life as a musician. Outside of music, Marissa is a nursing student working to become an RPN. Her biggest musical inspirations are Jaden Hossler, Mylie Taylor (from Burlington!), Nessa Barrett, and Beauty School Dropout. Marissa's musical taste is very pop-rock & pop-orientated. Her ultimate goal is to have fun with music as she has since the age of 3. Marissa loves being a musician because it gives her an outlet to write her thoughts and singing has always been therapeutic for her! Check out Marissa on TikTok, iTunes, Spotify, Instagram & YouTube! Watch Marissa's new original sound track on YouTube!
Shaye is a singer-songwriter from Mississauga. Her passion to pursue music began when she started songwriting with her ukulele in December 2018. Musicians like Adele, Amy Winehouse and Ed Sheeran have inspired her over the years. Her love for singing began at the age of seven when she would be cast in talent shows/plays that would showcase her voice throughout the years. Shaye has always aspired to become a singer/songwriter who creates music that expresses self-love and the struggles that may come with it. Her mission in music is to inspire others to pursue their dreams and share their stories with others. Check out Shaye through her Linktree account!
Donnie is an extremely talented vocalist from Hamilton, now living in Beamsville, Ontario. His music has taken a back seat over the years, due to serious family illness. Now, back to work and building a new life, Donnie keeps his love for music at the forefront by Hosting Karaoke at venues from Oakville to Hamilton. His charisma is undeniable and his remarkable vocal range leaves audiences in awe wherever he performs. You can check out Donnie live at Crooksy's, Hamilton Beach on Friday nights!
Cadence Keely is a new singer-songwriter from Milton, Ontario. Although she’s been performing in musical theatre her whole life, she only started singing pop music and writing her own songs 2 years ago. Cadence takes inspiration from artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams. Her first album, “Nostalgia Kills” was released on all platforms in early 2022. Cadence also has a passion for playwriting, and has had many of her original plays performed by young actors. Find her latest original release on YouTube!
Country-Rock singer, songwriter and musician from Exeter, Ontario, we have Graham Bedard. Born and raised in Clinton, Ontario, Huron County, Graham has always been strongly involved with music and performing. From a young age, he started singing and performing karaoke with his father. Before he knew it, he had picked up the guitar, learned as many songs as possible, started writing his own music and performing just about anywhere he could. After being diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, OCD and anxiety disorder at age 12, he found something incredibly therapeutic and calming when he was on stage performing. He quickly found that music was his calling in life and something that he was born to do. Fast forward to today at 30 years old, Graham has written and released several singles which have been broadcasted through FM radio as well as Sirius XM. Since 2019, he has had the honour of sharing the stage with popular artists including: The Washboard Union, David Wilcox, Jason Benoit, Eric Ethridge and Canadian Rock icon Kim Mitchell. He spends every week performing whether it’s a private party, wedding, bar or pub gig. He takes pride in being a very well known musician around the Huron County area. Graham’s goal when it comes to his music career is to spread positivity and his story through the music he writes and performs. He says “If I can inspire at least one person at my shows, I’ve done my job successfully. We all go through hardships in life and theres something incredible about music that brings everyone together with happiness.” You can find Graham and follow his journey through his Instagram and Facebook @GrahamBedardMusic.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.