'Canada Got Talent' competition allowed Lenya Wilks to find her voice again
July 18, 2022
For a fleeting moment, it seemed Lenya Wilks was on her way to the semi-final of ‘Canada Got Talent’.
She received a ‘yes’ vote from the four judges who stood and applauded, with Kardinal Offishall remarking, ‘You demolished the stage’ and Howie Mandel saying, ‘A door opened tonight’.
Despite the glowing tributes, Wilks did not make it out of the audition phase.
With the judges deciding which contestants advance, she and a few other contestants were cut.
Viewer voting was only allowed in the semi-final and final.
How did Wilks react after learning she did not progress?
“I wasn’t surprised,” the 32-year-old Jamaican-born vocalist said. “I was a bit sad because your hopes are built up so high and then you find out you are not moving on to the next round. It took some time for me to decompress and release my emotions. I am grateful I was able to make it that far.”
Lenya Wilks was a hit in the ‘Canada Got Talent’ competition (Photo contributed)
Even though Sam Smith’s ‘Too Good At Goodbyes’ was not her first choice, she gave it her best shot.
Married since 2018, Wilks wanted to perform Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’.
“You had to select five songs and send them to ‘Canada Got Talent’ for them to get clearance for you to do that song,” she said. “I wanted to do the Whitney and the Beyoncé, but they weren’t cleared. I was left with Sam Smith’s song and I made it work even though I was not comfortable singing it. I can do low and go all the way up. I just had to figure out how I could bring out my emotions in the song and tie it to the challenges I have endured. My emotions got the best of me when I was doing it on stage and I just could not finish it the way I wanted to.”
Away from music scene for almost seven years, Wilks didn’t know what to expect coming into the competition.
“Though I was very nervous, I proved to myself that I am more than what I thought I am and now it’s time to move on to something bigger and better,” she noted. “I have been performing on stage since I was 17 and it’s quite challenging trying to make your way in the Jamaica music industry. If you are not doing songs that may be termed derogatory, if you are not on the other side that is Ital Rasta woman, if your skin colour is not lighter or you don’t have a certain body type, the journey is harder and you have to fight and push regardless of how talented you are. That is why I doubted myself, my vocal ability and the music I was doing. When I stepped away from music, my confidence was very low. I moved to a small city in Manitoba, lived a simple girl life, went to school and worked. This was an opportunity go out there and find my voice again.”
Wilks used the ‘Canada Got Talent’ platform to reveal publicly for the first time the emotional and psychological trauma she suffered after a terrifying five-and-a-half hour early afternoon home invasion ordeal at the family residence in October 2011.
“That was not easy,” she said. “It is part of my journey and something I could identify with. I knew I was sharing something very personal and I was not sure how people would react to it. That was scary.”
Wilks’ mom and her one-year-old nephew were also at home when three men broke in with guns.
“That took a lot out of me and I basically hid after that for nearly six months,” she said. “I didn’t use a cell phone and I cried daily. For many years, I struggled to love people and make relationships. The level of shame that comes with the violation of your private space was just overwhelming. I am so happy to be where I am at today.”
From her mother, Wilks learnt she said wanted to sing like Whitney Houston when her grandmother asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up.
When her parents moved to Brooklyn, New York to pursue employment opportunities, they took their daughter. After six years, they returned to Jamaica when she was 11.
A member of her high school band for five years and a regular participant in Jamaica Cultural Development Commission festivals, Wilks finished fourth in the 2007 Digicel Rising Stars local talent show in Jamaica.
That same year as a 17-year-old, she started touring with Grammy Award-nominated singer Beres Hammond.
“He is that singer you want to be around,” Wilks, who also writes songs, noted. “He has a unique voice and his lyrical content and music are outstanding.”
She toured with his band for four years.
“That was amazing,” said Wilks whose favourite R & B singer is the late Whitney Houston. “He called me ‘Little One’ and I was just a young girl among veterans in the business. I had my five to 10-minute segments opening for him with some of my original music and then I would join him for the closing, singing his song, ‘Giving Thanks’. It was quite the experience as I got to tour the Caribbean, Europe and North America, including several Canadian provinces. I had a great time and I still have relationships with Harmony House (Hammond’s band). I am truly grateful for that.”
In 2016, she left Jamaica in search of better opportunities.
“My music career was not going anywhere and I didn’t want to sit in a studio waiting for that bit break,” Wilks said. “Coming to Canada to join my brother and his family, who welcomed me with open arms and guided me, was my back-up plan that I followed through with.”
Lenya Wilks toured with Grammy Award-nominated singer Beres Hammond (Photo contributed)
Two years ago, she graduated from Brandon University’s School of Music.
The university experience, the performer pointed out, was bittersweet.
“It was good to get that degree, but there were times when I was not happy in school and I asked myself, ‘Why Am I here’?” said Wilks who plans to pursue a Master’s in Social Work. “I was in my late 20s around teenagers and students in their very early 20s and that discouraged me a bit. The other reason I felt out of place was I was the only Black student in my classes during the four years. However, I must say that my fellow students and faculty members embraced me. Completing that journey was rewarding.”
After four years working in the hospitality sector, as a Special Events Representative, and with Brandon University and the city, she relocated to Surrey, British Columbia two months ago to take up a managerial post with the federally funded Local Immigration Partnership (LIP). There are more than 50 LIPs across Canada.
Metro Vancouver’s second most populated city is one of the fastest growing and culturally diverse in Canada.
The community collaborative brings diverse voices together to build an equitable and inclusive city where immigrants, refugees and citizens can thrive.
The ‘Canada Got Talent’ winner, decided on May 17, walked away with the $150,000 grand prize and an opportunity to perform at ‘America’s Got Talent’ Las Vegas Live Show.
