Without doubt, there are some great performers in the New Zealand’s Got Talent semifinals – but I’m personally gutted the Diamond Divas didn’t get through.
I always said I’d come to any party they were at, and although this one’s over for them, they did make me fall in love with their style of music.
I went home and downloaded Enough Is Enough and a few other 70s tunes they were so good at.
Although I love the Divas, I’m quite philosophical about them being gone. I believe that by simply being in the competition, they’ve had an amazing opportunity and plenty of publicity – and you don’t need to win the show for
it to kick-start a great career.
‘Nice guy’ James Lee is hitting all the right notes with his growing fanbase.
If the Divas – and anyone else – are passionate enough about what they do, they should go home and start booking their nationwide tour.
A lot of people think you need a degree of arrogance to succeed in the public arena – that phrase “nice guys finish last” used to worry me. I even talked about it to my mum once, as I thought being a nice guy meant I wouldn’t make it – but you can imagine the reaction! She has no idea why anyone would want to be anything else.
Speaking of nice guys, you’ve got to hand it to James Lee. What a standout performer. His voice is just amazing. Of course, there are some who won’t take him seriously because he’s a man in his 30s with braces and a strong accent, but he’s hitting the notes, so you have to give him credit. He is also a lovely guy – I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a smile and he really is winning people over.
Every cloud has a silver lining… and for the Diamond Divas, simply being in the limelight for a short period of time has already won them lifelong fans. Vicki Lee Smith and Mandy Stevenson have sung together for 35 years, so despite having been voted out of NZGT, we expect they will be shooting for the stars!
We’re at a stage in the competition where, no matter what happens on the show, many of these guys have the talent and potential to make a career out of their passion. Sure, there are haters out there – unfortunately they are just a fact of life. Someone tweeted me recently to tell me I should watch Australia’s Got Talent as I could learn a lot from their host, so I blocked them. You can’t take negativity on board – if you want something badly enough, it’s yours for the taking.
Catch Tamati and the judges on New Zealand’s Got Talent on TV One, Sundays, at 7.30pm.
