Jessica Riley sung her way into Bradford West Gwillimbury stardom Thursday night, winning the top prize in the second-ever Village Inn Idol.
Riley, a sales associate from Aurora, was pitted against Keith Komar, a brickmason and chief financial officer for the Ontario Libertarian Party in Barrie, in a surprise extra-final round of competition at the downtown bar.
The contest’s three judges named Kewsick’s Emma Piggott to third place, but they could not decide between Riley and Komar, so the pair had to sing another final song.
It was Riley’s rendition of KT Tunstall’s Black Horse and the Cherry Tree that put her over the top, beating out Komar’s version of Rusty Cage by Soundgarden.
“I got goosebumps all night from these singers,” said Jackie Kozak, owner of Scaraoke Entertainment who organizes the singing competition. “They all have different styles and sounds. They all could have won first place.”
Riley won the title, plus a 50-inch flat-screen TV.
All Top 3 participants won sunglasses, framed certificates, Poleiros BBQ gift cards, and VISA gift cards in amounts from $50 to $200. Komar also won a water bottle with a Bluetooth speaker attached.
Kozak said she loves being able to showcase local talent, and the competition attracts people from all around Simcoe County and York Region.
Last time, singers got one shot to sing a song for a chance to make the finals.
This time, they got four weeks to sing a song from a different genre each time to get more points to try and reach the finals. Audience members are able to vote for their favourites.
Kozak said she is still considering which format to go with for next time, which will either be in November, February/March, or both.
There were fewer participants this time around, which she said she attributes to the event competing with other summer activities and more people being out of town.
But the 14 people who competed went that extra mile — engaging with the audience and dressing up, Kozak said.
One woman sang a Beyonce song dressed in a black jumpsuit similar to the one from the Single Ladies music video.
A man sang a Tragically Hip song while wearing the late Gord Downey’s signature top hat with a long feather in it.
Another competitor dressed up in a nice dress, princess crown, and lots of “bling,” Kozak said.
“Everybody put forward that extra special bit,” she said, noting singers are judged on more than their voices, but also on things like audience rapport, costumes, and song choice.
The judges were music producer and singer Danny Panetta, real-estate agent Jaclyn De Melo whose daughters are in the music industry, and the last Village Inn Idol runner-up Essie Avila.
All the singers should be proud of themselves for performing in front of a crowd and judges, said Kozak.
“I get nervous getting up in front of everybody and just doing the welcoming,” she quipped. “I’m glad we have these competitions (to showcase local talent).”
