Double bass player of Guyanese parentage wins Toronto singing competition
Fifteen-year-old Nivedita Motiram, a Canadian of Guyanese parentage, has been announced as the winner of the 14th season of a Toronto-based singing contest. Nivedita’s soulful yet powerful voice took the competition by storm and saw her besting more than 30 other contestants.
“I’m very excited to have won the Long and McQuade Singing Contest with John Santos Season 14. As the winner, I have the opportunity to develop as an artist and work with a respectable music producer, Anthony Wright,” an ecstatic Nivedita said.
A Jazz/Soul/Pop singer and double bass player, Nivedita said she did not expect to have come out on top, as she had some stiff competition and her own performance did not go as she had planned. Despite her own skepticism, family and friends cheered her on throughout.
The older of two girls, Nivy, as she has fondly been referred to her all her life, grew up in a family that is passionate about music. Her sister plays the saxophone and piano while her father sings and plays the harmonium; he can also play the piano. When Nivy was four years old, she learned to play the violin.
“I’ve been teaching myself to play the ukulele, acoustic guitar and electric bass guitar. I’ve also tried the piano and can sing and play a couple of songs,” the talented teen said. And, of course, she also plays the double bass.
Having her world filled with music from a tender age, by seven, Nivy was already serious about music. When her parents realized this, she was signed up for classical vocal classes in 2012. She left after a year but returned in 2016, then in 2018 she took lessons from a vocal coach for several months.
Growing up, Nivy listened to Christina Aguilera, Bruno Mars, Alessia Cara, Alicia Keys, Michael Jackson, Sam Smith, Esperanza Spalding, and Lewis Capaldi, among others. “I would love to share the stage with Esperanza Spalding. My musical journey is very similar to hers. I started out playing the violin and discovered the double bass in middle school. She’s also a singer and usually plays the double bass and sings. I first saw her perform at the White House in 2016… ‘On the sunny side of the street’, which has been the inspiration for me to sing and play double bass,” Nivy said. The double bass is the largest and lowest pitch of stringed instruments, one she has been perfecting her skill on for the last four years.
Nivy has created for herself many incredible experiences, some funny, others which taught her lessons. “During a Jazz band performance in school, the electric bass was missing, and I had to use my double bass. It was intimidating as the song was written for an electric bass and it was difficult to translate the music to double bass. At the time, I felt embarrassed. But looking back at it now, it was funny and a really good learning experience for me,” she said.
Nivy did her first performance as part of her school choir in 2012 which opened the doors for many others. She serenaded audiences at the Ontario Conservatory of Music (OCOM) Musical Flurries in 2012, OCOM
Annual Canadian Music League (CML) Music Competition in 2013, Solo performance in school play ‘the Pirates Musical’ in 2015, OCOM Musical Flurries in 2015, National Anthem at the Annual Peel Gutsy Walk (2016-2019), OCOM CML Music Competition (2016), School play ‘the Pirates Musical 2’ (2016), Regional Arts Programme Information Night, Teachers Appreciation Day and Black History Month (2017-2019), Centre Stage at the Rose Theater and Brampton Garden Square (2017), Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Rising Star Competition (2018), Laura Cece School Vocal Talent Showcase (2018), Youth Day Global (2019), Singing Competition (2019-2020) and at the Global Youth Day (2020).
Nivy has been in an arts program since Grade 6 and has also been part of the school’s jazz band and string orchestra, playing violin and double bass. As part of the group, she has had the opportunity to perform at many regional and national music competitions for her school. The singer is also expected to perform at the CNE Rising Star Competition slated for August/September.
“Music helps me relax, takes me into my own world where I can just be. [The best part is] getting lost in the lyrics and music,” said the teen.
Nivy and her parents are always looking for singing opportunities so when they came across the Long and McQuade Singing Contest, they had to give it a try. “It’s a long process, over about 8 months. I submitted an application in July 2019 and auditioned in September 2019. After [I was] selected, there were a few coaching sessions before the qualifying rounds; this runs from October 2019 to February 2020. There are two chances to get selected for the semifinals which occurred in February 2020 and March 2020. Once in the semi-finals, there are two chances to make it to the finals; this was initially scheduled for April 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 restrictions. In between each round, there are coaching sessions,” explained Nivy.
This was not Nivy’s first music competition. “I’ve performed in the CNE Rising Star Talent Competition in 2018 where I made it to the semi-finals. I tried out for Honey Jam in 2017 but didn’t get selected. In 2016, I auditioned and was selected for the Centre Stage Musical Showcase, a show put on by the Rose Theatre. Prior to 2016, I took part in two CML music competitions for students of the OCOM,” said the songbird.
Asked whether she had her heart set on someday competing on the “The Voice” or “America’s Got Talent,” Nivy said it was not something she planned on but would certainly be great exposure.
A video of Nivy performing for the Virtual Canada Youth Fest 2020 within the comfort of her home has also been circulating. It was an opportunity that opened up and certainly which she was excited to be part of. Not only did she blow her virtual audience away with her remarkable talent, but she impressed them with her skill of playing the double bass also.
This is the second time that she participated in the Youth Fest. “The Youth Day Global Youth Fest is a creative arts festival that occurs annually, showcasing young people (usually <30yrs), in music, dance, art, photography, fashion and film. I participated last year, playing my double bass, and singing. The feedback on the Youth Day Instagram page was, ‘wow I haven’t seen anything like that’. It’s not common to see singers who play the double bass and sing at the same time,” enthused Nivy.
Asked to share one of the challenges she has faced in the musical arena, the singer said she has had to deal with performance anxiety. However, the more she performs, the easier it gets.
Nivy is currently working towards auditioning for the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. She is also working on a professional CD recording where she is writing/performing eight original songs and one professional video. The CD would be released next year.
“Career wise, I’m unsure what I’ll be doing in ten years. However, I’m passionate about helping those who have unfair representation and are not given opportunities, so it’ll be something in this area. For the next steps academically, I do have plans to study both music and neuroscience/cognitive science,” she said.
“I really would like to be able to help people who are unfortunate, who haven’t been given opportunities or those who are misrepresented. I would want my legacy to be that I was able to make a difference in some of these people’s lives or better yet, change the status quo and remove all those barriers.”
Nivy is a student at the Mayfield Secondary School, in the Regional Arts Programme majoring in music (double bass). She previously attended the Earnscliffe Sr Public School in the Regional Arts Programme as well.