Bathgate Park School year 8 pupil Walyn Tafoou, 12, has won the Star Vocalist Award at the BandQuest national finals.
Today she is bringing her talent home and showcasing her vocal talents in her school show.
She was proud to win the competition, she said.
"I didn’t know I was going to make it to the nationals, but I had faith and I’m so proud of myself."
She sang Stan Walker’s Māori Ki Te Ao and Beyonce’s Love on Top with her band Ōreo to win the competition.
Walyn said she had been singing since she was small.
"I used to try to be a diva and sing like Beyonce."
Her role models were her aunties, who were also good singers.
"They push me to the limit and encourage me to do my best."
She said she got her good voice from praying and worshipping God.
"He gives me the good talent to sing and share my voice — that’s the logic."
She was nervous and scared at the same time performing in front of an audience at the Otago regional finals for BandQuest but got her strength back when she was on stage.
Her music teacher, Alex Brown-Hunt, discovered her when she performed with the school’s kapa haka group.
He said her voice stood out when she performed solo parts in her group’s Polyfest performance.
The school’s show, "Te Ao Mārama", was written by its dance teacher, Losana Taungapeau, he said.
It was about Maori gods and methods of sustainability.
It would culminate in an ensemble performance from most of the school, led by Walyn.
