Duo rise to the

Young talents Cassandra Anne and Gregory Ramanado are Malaysia’s hopes in the all-new reality singing competition Bolt Of Talent, writes Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli

THEY are among the eight singersongwriters who are hoping to make it big through Michael Bolton’s reality show which aims to unearth new vocal talents from across Asia. They will compete for a dream record deal, a chance to go on a world tour with Bolton himself as well as an ambassadorship with Subaru.

But instead of being pressured by the tough competition, Malaysian singers Cassandra Anne Sebastian (Cassey) and Gregory Ramanado (Greg) are revelling in the chance to make their country proud.

“There isn’t much rivalry between us but more of the spirit of representing our country — more camaraderie than competition. We focus instead on reaching our full potential,” said the Petaling Jaya-born Greg.

Subang Jaya native Cassey agreed. “We want to look at the bigger picture and root for one another the whole time. We don’t have time anyway to think about anything else besides having the great Mr Bolton as our mentor.”

On the seven-part show, airing Wednesdays at 9.30pm on Star World, Greg and Cassey are joined by two contestants from the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand each.

The legendary crooner will hand-pick a contestant from each country to proceed to the final round where they are required to reinvent, rearrange and reproduce a range of Bolton’s greatest hits.

Cassey, 23, is currently completing her degree in communications while TESL graduate Greg, 30, is working on promoting Superstar English, a programme he designed that teaches users to speak English with the help of music.

Cassey and Greg had known each other even before the competition and had even performed together. They had been singing since young but went professional at the age of 17 and 20 respectively.

“So in this whirlwind of a ride that is the reality show, it’s nice to have a familiar face around,” she said.

More of the interview below:

WHY DID YOU JOIN THE COMPETITION?

I’ve been singing for 10 years but I hadn’t found my big break yet. I was always looking for that one opportunity that can change my life and hopefully put me on the right track.

At first I didn’t know what to expect or where it would lead to but I just went for it. It finally sunk in when I became a contestant. WHAT SPECIAL SKILL DO YOU HAVE?

Greg can sing in any genre. Funk, R&B, slow rock — he can do it. He’s very versatile.

Cassey has one of those enigmatic voices that really draws you in.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE IN THE SHOW?

They were mostly centred on self-development. We learnt how to push ourselves further as professional singers and, most importantly, how to find our signature sound.

Yes. When you listen to a singer on the radio, you will know who they are by the sound of their voice. Finding that originality was the toughest challenge.

The show provided us with different experiences. We’re used to doing gigs where we perform and then go home. Having cameras following us around and having makeup artistes in our faces were just surreal.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE BOLTON SONG?

Ooh, there are so many! But at the top of my head, it’s

because it’s the soundtrack to the Disney movie WHAT IS MICHAEL BOLTON LIKE IN PERSON?

As a person of his stature, I thought he would be high maintenance, but he is very down to earth and endearing.

He is just so suave, calm and a real gentleman.

ARE YOU READY FOR NEGATIVE ONLINE COMMENTS?

Bring on the haters!

I’m not worried but I hope my family is ready for

WHAT’S UP NEXT?

I’m going to fully utilise the attention I will be getting from the show, and channel it to not only my talent as a singer but also to Superstar English.

I don’t know what my future holds. I won’t think too much about it; I’m just going to live these great moments as they come.

We hope if there’s any fame that comes with this experience, it will inspire other ordinary Malaysians to be extraordinary and strive for their own big

break.