The COVID-19 pandemic has taken so much entertainment away from us. But now, it is all coming back.

Yesterday (July 27), Digicel announced the return of its annual television talent show, Digicel Rising Stars.

The show was first aired on Television Jamaica in June 2004 and has since crowned many winners. But, only a few have managed to have flourishing music careers. These include singers Romaine Virgo, Christopher Martin and Dalton Harris.

So, the question remains, where are they now?

Winston ‘Cavan’ Lewis – Digicel Rising Stars 2004 winner

Since being crowned the first winner of the competition in 2004, Cavan worked mostly in the tourism industry, flexing his vocals on the hotel circuit and with popular cruise ship company, Royal Caribbean, as a cabaret singer. But the pandemic cut his time on Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships short. Now, he is ready to fall back in love with music and is in the process of relaunching his career.

Christopher Martin – Digicel Rising Stars 2005 winner

After winning the Digicel Rising Stars competition, Martin participated in Digicel’s Christmas promotion in 2005. His debut single, Love Is All We Need, formed part of the promotional campaign. Martin became the first Digicel Rising Stars alumnus to have a hit single on the charts in Jamaica. His music career led him to travel the international waters and he is known as the first “Big Deal” to come out of the competition. Recently he delivered a high energy performance at the 2022 Reggae SumFest where he displayed stellar vocals. He continues to make his mark, has multiple songs that continue to do well on streaming platforms Spotify, Tidal and Apple music. Some of his most popular songs are Chill Spot, You’ll Never Find and Take My Love.

Romain Virgo – Digicel Rising Stars 2007 winner

Virgo, like Martin, also managed to conquer the music industry and continues to do great things both locally and internationally. To date, he has released three full-length studio albums. His self-titled set, Romain Virgo, was released in 2010. He released his second album, The System, in 2012 and it was number six on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. His 2015 EP, Lifted, stalled at number seven on the chart. The latest was 2018’s Lovesick which topped the Billboard chart. Virgo is currently on a Reggae Summer tour and will travel the international waters to the United States and Belgium from August 31 to September 2.

Dalton Harris – Digicel Rising Stars 2010 winner

Harris is another success story from the Jamaican singing competition who continues to do great things. After Digicel Rising Stars, the singer set route for X Factor, a United Kingdom singing competition where he reigned as champion. Harris has continued to keep himself relevant in entertainment circles, gaining the title of music producer. Since his double victory, he has released multiple albums, with his two most popular singles being Cry and The Power of Love featuring international singer and songwriter James Arthur. He also announced his work in a film version of Richard Maltby Jr and Richard Shire’s Closer Than Ever, a musical revue in two acts. Harris is set to take the stage this August at the Michael Jackson Day 30 tour in London.

Verlando Small – Digicel rising stars 2013 winner

In 2013, Digicel Rising Stars took a turn when saxophonist Verlando Small was crowned the winner. Small is a Grammy-nominated Saxophonist for his feature on Buju Banton’s song, Helping Hands. He also has a few international performances under his belt. Small went on a UK tour and performed in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) with Marcia Griffiths, Bob Andy, Richie Spice, Judy Mowatt and Tanya Stephens. He continues to follow his musical passion performing at private events. The saxophonist also has a YouTube channel where he performs covers of popular songs such as Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Can We Talk by Tevin Campbell. He is currently in the process of producing covers of popular love songs such as Heaven by Bryan Adams, Can’t Help Falling in Love With You by Elvis Presley.

Sherlon Russell – Digicel Rising Stars 2019 winner

Though not as popular as other winners, Sherlon Russell continues to do great things in the music industry. He is a gospel recording artiste, musician and songwriter. He recorded and wrote his first single in 2019 entitled No Shadow of Turning, which was produced by Katalys Crew Productions, a dynamic force in reggae music for over 10 years. Russell also does covers of popular gospel songs that can be found on his YouTube channel Sheldon Russell. In sticking to his gospel routes, Russell is set to take the stage at the Shekinah Glory Undefended concert at Cedar Grove Estate on September 30 this year.

Tasha-Gay Solomon -Digicel Rising Stars 2018 winner

The 2018 winner has not yet made her mark on the music industry but her passion lives on. Solomon was featured on Malik Hamilton’s album It’s Finally Christmas. She currently still performs at private events, sharing her journey on her Instagram page @tasha_masha_1. She also shared a snippet of her song Everything Takes Time on her Facebook page. The singer is still awaiting her ‘big buss’ four years later.

Erlon Earlington – Digicel Rising Stars 2016 winner

Claiming the title in 2016, Earlington continues to pursue his love for music. He has managed to graze the international field. He performed at the Hands across Africa festival and expo on July 23 in Ghana as a member of the duo, Roc Riva. He also performs at multiple private events and community engagements that he shares on his Instagram @1_elton_earlington.