I've done a lot of posts on the new performers. But before there was Susan Boyle, or Jonathan Antoine, or Amira, or Dimash, or Angelina -- there was Paul Potts. Potts won the very first season of Britain's Got Talent, and his enormous subsequent success had a lot to do with the success of the 'Got Talent' franchise and phenomenon. His story is captured in one of my all time favorite talent documentaries, the 2007 film By Royal Command. He was also the subject of a 2013 feature film, One Chance, and a memoir of the same name.
As everyone knows I'm first-most a fan of Amira Willighagen. And when Amira came to prominence in 2013, Paul was quick to take her under his wing. He performed in countless charity concerts with her to support her charity in Africa, and gave her pointers in performance. His love for her has always impressed me and shown him to be genuinely the loving humble man his fans take him to be. One day I will do a post just on their collaborations together.Check out this adorable encounter between them in a car ride on the way to a concert. The other people beside Amira in the back seat are her father and singer James Bhemgee.
TIMELINE OF THE NEW PERFORMERS
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| It all begins with Paul Potts |
2009: 48 year old Susan Boyle rises to fame after appearing as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent.
2010: 10 year old Jackie Evancho wins second place in America's Got Talent singing opera arias.
2012: 17 year old classically trained singer Jonathan Antoine is discovered when he and Charlotte Jaconelli appear on Britain's Got Talent.
2012: 7 year old composer Alma Deutscher is discovered when comedian Stephen Fry publicizes her YouTube channel, writing: "Simply mind-blowing: Alma Deutscher playing her own compositions. A new Mozart?" Television crews arrived at her family home in England the next day.
2013: 9 year old Amira Willighagen wins Holland's Got Talent.
2014: 7 year old singer Angelina Jordan wins Norway's Got Talent.
2017: 22 year old Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen is internationally discovered in China, when he appears as a "wildcard competitor" in Hunan TV's Singer 2017.
What each of these performers has in common is the new phenomenon of YouTube. While in the past, classical performers were trained and depended on connections and lucky breaks, the new medium, coupled with the new genre of reality shows, gave talent that never would have been noticed a spotlight. With the exception of Jonathan and Dimash, these performers tend to be self-taught, a trait that afforded them the luxury of performing exclusively from the heart and by intuition. This new emphasis of humility and heart-centered inspiration has been mentioned regarding all of these, except Dimash whose story is very different.
My intention in writing this post was to bring attention to Paul Potts, as the real father of this new movement. Paul Potts holds up as the icon he has become, and the inspiration for an entire artistic movement.
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| Paul & Amira having a quick bite before a charity concert, from documentary 'A Hectic Life' |
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