Rising stars: Two more Caledon youth to compete in CNE talent show 

By Zachary Roman 

Angelina Lucien, 13, is a dancer 

Angelina Lucien has been tap dancing for ten years. 

Now 13 years of age, Lucien began tap dancing when she was just three. 

She said it's a really fun and cool discipline, and that she's always up to tap dance to any kind of music. 

Lucien is going to be competing at the Canadian National Exhibition's (CNE) Rising Stars competition this year, which begins on August 19. She's one of four contestants from the Town of Caledon, but she's the only contestant from Caledon who will be showcasing dancing as the other three are vocalists. 

Lucien will be dancing to the tune of Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae. Lucien said she and her family go to the CNE every year — with the exception of the last two years since it was cancelled due to the pandemic — and that she grew up watching the Rising Stars competition. She said there's usually a big crowd watching the competition, but that she's used to dancing in front of crowds and at competitions. 

Rising Star contestants, who are all between the ages of six and 21, will be judged on their abilities, performance quality, stage presence, and audience appeal. 

The finals of the Rising Star Competition will be taking place on September 4 inside the Enercare Centre in Toronto. 

Pavit Gill, 17, is a vocalist and writes her own music 

In the second grade, Pavit Gill entered a talent show at her school and sang with her friends. 

It ended up being the spark that ignited Gill's passion for singing, which has only grown over the years. 

“I realized I love singing and it became an obsession for me,” said Gill, who is now 17. 

She practices contemporary music with a vocal coach, singing songs that she likes and “going from there.” 

“I've always really, really liked R&B, but I'm also a sucker for ballads and pop songs,” explained Gill. 

She's going to be singing All I Ask by vocal powerhouse Adele at the Rising Stars competition. 

“I have always loved Adele, I've sung so many of her songs for performances, so I kind of wanted to stick to that… for the competition.” 

Gill had auditioned for Rising Stars once before when she was younger, after finding out about it from her vocal coach. Unfortunately, she didn't make it in. When she saw the competition was coming back post-pandemic, she decided to audition again and her persistence paid off with a spot in the contest. 

In 2018, Gill sang in front of a large crowd at the Rose Theatre in Brampton. Still, she thinks the crowd at the CNE for rising stars will be even bigger. 

“It's exciting to finally be performing again,” said Gill. “During COVID I didn't get that many opportunities (to perform) and I'm really thankful this is the opportunity that I get right after COVID.” 

Gill explained she hasn't been able to experience the excitement and nerves that come alongside a large performance in quite some time, so that's what she's most excited for at Rising Stars. 

She said regardless of the outcome of the contest, she'll be glad to have performed again. 

From a young age, music and writing were an outlet for Gill. She likes to write her own music and poetry. 

“Being able to express my emotions like that and being able to connect to a grand scale of people through music… it's a really good feeling,” said Gill. “Of course, there are always nerves involved, like ‘What if I'm not good enough? What if I mess up?'... but as soon as I get on stage, it's just like another realm of connection that I get to feel with other people, other performers, and the audience members.” 

After the Rising Stars competition is over, Gill wants to focus on recording and releasing her own music, which she's been passionate about for so long.