Six weeks of tough competition culminated in last week's Grand Final of Masons Coors Light Singer Songwriter Contest and finally one act shone through.
25-year-old Kevin Rotherham, from Eglinton, wowed judges and audiences alike last Wednesday and the modest musician is now a cool £300 richer!
“It was a great feeling being in the final but I really didn’t expect to win it,” a delighted Kevin told
the ‘Journal’, “I felt privileged because there’s so much talent in Derry. So it’s good to get my music heard and appreciated.”
On the night in question, competitors Aoife White, Kevin McKiernan, Jonathan O’Kane, Oonagh McGranaghan and duo Doyle and Keith who came all the way from Omagh gave it their best, and boy, were they good! Although he has been actively interested in music for over a decade, winner Kevin only began playing publicly a year ago, and what a year it’s been.
“I just really enjoy performing. If its bigger events I do feel nervous but otherwise I just enjoy playing,” he added.
So what does Kevin plan to spent his well-deserved winnings on?
“I’m hoping to go to some festivals so the money will help and if there’s any left I’ll be spending it on recording equipment.”
Having impressed so many people this time around, what does the future hold for Kevin?
“For the meantime I’m going to continue doing acoustic stuff and then I’m going to get a band together for bigger venues but basically I’m going to try to make a living out of music and keep ‘er lit!” he laughed.
To hear Kevin’s winning sound for yourself, see: www.myspace.com/kevinrotherham or: www.bebo.com/kevinrotherham
The full article contains 302 words and appears in Journal Friday newspaper.
