International singing sensation, Tessanne Chin Crooks spoke with OurToday at her Voice Box Summer Singing Intensive Camp at Campion College’s auditorium on Tuesday, (August 20).

As a performing arts group for kids, Voice Box aims to nurture the talent of children ages 6 to 18, with fifty children being chosen for the sponsored 2.5-week training program this year.

1. Where next can people expect to find the Voice Box programme?

Provided that the partnership and capacity are available at the time, Chin Crooks sees a bright future for the programme across other parishes, saying “We are hoping to branch out to like Mobay and get that crowd in terms of allowing those kids to participate and maybe do a workshop in Mobay next year.”

2. How does it feel to see so many young people still interested in going down the singing route and for you to be a part of their journey?

As someone who began performing at the tender age of 6, the Jamaican is overjoyed to see children unleash their potential…

“I am so proud when I watch these kids come here and they transform within the short space of time that we have. Jamaica is so full of just raw talent, you would not believe the level of talent that we have here and this year I’m honestly blown away. I keep trying not to cry in rehearsals,” she laughed, as the introduction of Billie Eilish’s “What was I Made For?” hummed softly in the background while her students rehearsed for the upcoming showcase.

“Because they’re just so incredible. It’s just an honour for us to be a part of a small part of their journey. To be a part of that journey with them and to hopefully inspire them to not just look at the art as just like a hobby but it’s actually a way for you to make a living and if you are disciplined enough, if you are dedicated enough then you can go really far,”

3. In what ways do you believe your summer programme can help to preserve local Jamaican music and create artists who can keep Jamaican music competitive on the global scene?

The Reggae artist, sees more of a need to encourage the children to find their voice rather than force them into specific genres.

“Well, I think to preserve Jamaican music you have to preserve Jamaican culture and I think our kids are Jamaican you know, so I never felt the need to have to push one genre over another.”

“It’s just a matter of giving them the space to have a voice and giving them the space to come up with their own creative ideas and their own unique approach to what they believe is representing them because I think that’s what it comes down to- is music representing the typical young Jamaican so Voice Box is in the process of producing our first single (…) and we didn’t really focus a lot on whether or not it was reggae or this, we just wanted them to have a voice.”

“So I think that’s a question that we need to ask ourselves in the industry is, Is our music representing those kids?”

4. The Voice Box previously partnered with the Ashe Performing Arts Company in 2023, can you tell us how collaborations with performing arts schools will help further nurture the aspiring artistes we have here today?

“Well, you know ASHE- I look at ASHE as kinda big brothers.” She said with a fond smile.

“They have done amazing things and I actually come from Little People, (that is the Little People And Teen Players Club performing arts school) which ASHE was made from. So it’s a full circle moment, so there’s still a lot of people who are from ASHE that are involved in Voice Box and The Tessanne Chin Foundation which is on its way to becoming a non-profit which is how we’re able to do this.”

Rehearsals for the showcase continue in the background. The event will highlight the talents developed throughout the program. At the end of the showcase, selected students will be given the exciting opportunity to join Voice Box.

“So they’re still guiding us in their own way,” she continued “Michael Holgate (former ASHE director) is our director and Michael Harris ( assistant professor of voice at Berklee College of Music in Boston) is one of our teachers so you know we’re always gonna be intertwined.”

“I think it’s important to continue to have performing arts places like ASHE to be able to help us to do stuff like that and we are hoping for Voice Box performing arts to make that space for us as well.”

5. So while I know your role here today is as a voice coach, most Jamaican artistes, especially aspiring artistes are not really aware of contract terms or record deals. Do you guys provide any tips or guidance to help them navigate that sphere?

With a wealth of experience in the music industry, Tessanne shed some light on the business aspect of Voicebox.

“It’s funny you should mention that, we have a celebrity mentor coming today and I was shocked, last year we had Shaggy and a lot of the kids asked these questions about contracts and stuff so it’s definitely something that we want to include in our workshop or get like a … member to come in and give them a talk but its part of what this is about.

“This is not just the performance in part, but also the fact that this is actually a business and you have to kinda educate yourself on what that is so definitely something we are hoping to expand on.”

6. We have singing competitions in Jamaica like the Digicel Rising Stars of course, and festival singing competitions How do you think these competitions can enhance how we produce more singers in Jamaica and how we can hone their skills

“I think it’s incredibly useful.” She remarked “One of our main sponsors this year is Tastees who basically fed all of our kids for the entirety of the camp. Tastees used to put on talent contests back in the day so I think it is very important for people to have more spaces that they can not just get the training but the experience performing because that in itself is a whole different lesson.”

She chuckles and playfully added “You know what I mean.”

“So these things are invaluable, this is what keeps Jamaica being able to not just you know express themselves but gives them a platform to do it and that is what we’re hoping to do, this is not a competition but every child here has been here as the result of an audition and whether or not they got through that audition. We got about one hundred kids this year and out of the hundred, only fifty made it, so it’s important for us to keep making spaces that children can come learn that there is some sort of a- not a competitive nature- but you have to bring it in order to earn this spot.”

And on that note, our brief interview concluded with bright smiles and heartfelt exchanges of thanks.