The spotlight was shining more heavily than normally. Md8 (Mercy Digital Club) club members were scrambling to cut to camera 1, 2, 3, medium close-ups, and long shot angles.

The MTEC (Music Technology) majors and MD8 were the helping hands running the show. They set up microphone, worked cameras, controlled the audio level, and set up the stage before and during the show.

Kodak flashes fading in and out of each performance. Lecture Hall was the stage to excel at the highest level and showcase your musical or unheard talent. The time was now or never for performances. Audience Members were Snapchatting every performance during the show.  The lecture hall was full to capacity and the light was shining on the performers. As a musician or talent there is no better platform than a stage to prove your worth. Talent show contestants knew that their time was now.

It was the stepping stone to prove one could handle the limelight of a cluttered audience. Eighteen performances were called upon to showcase what exactly their talent was and why they should win. More than ever, show was more important than telling.

Actions and words were spoken louder than ever at a talent show showcase. If one did not come with either action or words, one would fail miserably and risk the audience booing you furiously.

Rappers, singers, dancers, comedians, and more finally had a platform to display their greatness and potentially build a fan base and become discovered. One performance would either make you or break you.

The BSU (Black Student Union) at Mercy College held their yearly talent show on Feb. 26. Auditions were held two weeks prior to the talent show at the media studies suite at the television studio in Victory Hall. Students Kareem Fisher and Donavan Thomas hosted the auditions.

Black student Union President Donovan Thomas held the auditions and informed student via email on if they made the talent show. Students who made the talent show were congratulated through email, and given instructions on the procedures that will occur on the day of the talent show.

“The talent show is a place where students can showcase their talent in front of their peers and family,” says Thomas.

The grand prize of the talent show was $200 and a music video. The grand prize was enticing to all the performance especially musicians who could use the free music video to promote a potential hit song of theirs.

The first performer was by the host Alou. He is a rapper and he performed one of his songs that hyped the crowd up. The song Trench Coat had the audience bouncing to the catchy hook.  “Tommy Hilfiger trench coat, I got the tommy in my Trench Coat.

The talent show was well balanced and eye-popping from the start. The audience seemed locked in at the edge of their seat throughout the show. The camera team was active and lively for the majority of the show.

The President of Mercy College, Timothy Hall, and the BSU chairman were front row to witness the talent show. They were engaged with students and performers and looked pleased with the outcome of the show.

Last year’s winner and champion of the talent show was May Thurd. The runner-ups were the Mercy Step team. The majority of people speculated it may come down to these two once again.

Who would have predicted that a foreign student would even be aware of the talent show and sing? The student who performances as “Yang” won the hearts of the ladies and crowd by singing his tonsils out and hitting notes passionately. It was obvious from the time he hit the first note that he was instantly going be a crowd favorite, and be in the top three for the grand prize of the show.

The top three performers came down to the host Alou, May Thurd, and Yang. In the final voting, Yang prevailed with an astounding cheers from the audience. The voting process was prolonging and intense. The faith of the talent show contestants was placed in the cheers of the audience.

All the competitors congratulated Yang with a firm handshake. It was a too good to be true story.

“The talent show turned out to be successful and I am quite pleased that students witnessed talent in the making,” says Thomas.

This year’s talent show only proves that Mercy has talent and students are intrigued to witness potential greatness. Performers had a bright outlook on the talent show.

Rapper Michael Kerrigan says that performing at the talent show helps him promote his music and hopefully gain a larger fan base.

“Performing at the talent show was an honor and was exciting. Just feeling the energy from the audience and having spotlight on me was great,” says Kerrigan. “Also, gaining the experience of being on stage in front of a crowd will help me develop better stage presence for future concerts or talent shows.”

Jerelle Gordon played the piano for his talent show act and had the crowd in a smooth sailing vibe.

“I been playing the piano all my life and I was self-taught so I definitely look forward to playing in front a large crowd all the time especially at a talent show.”

Gordon also raves that the talent show is a starting platform for musicians to gain a few fans while still in a college campus.

“You never know who can become a fan of yours, if you perform at a college you attend and perform well “says Gordon.

The biggest outcome of the BSU talent show was the support and love certain performers got after the talent show. Audience members who attended the talent show were impressed with what they heard.

“After I performed at the show a lot of students have approached me and requested my sound cloud to listen to some of my music. It really is a great feeling to realize after you perform people ask you about your music and say the song you performed was fire, “says Keon Pollydore.

Pollydore also says that after the talent show a lot of students around the dorms have requested to hear more of his songs.

The special performance after the talent show ended was ODC. ODC stands for Original Dope Crew. ODC is a group of two rappers who are brothers, Ant and Ricky, performing their most popular song to date, “Party.”

During their performance the audience was engaged and hyped up. The entire audience stood up out their seats and bopped their heads to the song. Even performers from the talent show cast were in the audience to witness the special performance.

“It was an honor to perform as a special guest after the talent show that just shows what an impact our music has on people,” says ODC.

The photographer of the talent show was enthusiastic about his involvement in the show when asked.

“From the start of the show I was excited because a lot of the people in the show were close friends of mine; and I also love showing support to my friends,” says Denzel Walters.

Walters also says he enjoys taking photos or working camera in huge event because he gains experience and gets accustoms to professional workforce.

The talent show may only be a yearly event, however maybe it’s time to have one a semester or monthly event where musicians can perform and promote their music or talent.  The $5 admission to the talent show was worth the money and time of the day.