"It's out with the old and in with the new. Goodbye clouds of gray, hello skies of blue. A dip in the pool, a trip to the spa, endless days in my chaise, the whole world according to moi..."
Famous lasting words from an iconic Hollywood artist and childhood inspiration throughout the first phase of my life. Knowing Sharpay's script off by heart I used to think that I was the star of my very own "Highschool Musical" movie, with my pillows and stuffed animal friends being my adoring fanbase.
As glamorous as the idea of being a three year-old popstar seemed, the stage I first put my foot on wasn't! It Consisted out of an old yellowish wood that tended on making an awful noise at every wiggle of the toe. My Livingroom hosted my very first performance, witnessed the start of a big dream and was my very first stage.
My journey took a turn as my pillow-audience, one by one, turned into technicolored faces of all shapes and sizes. Before I knew it, my stages got bigger and bigger starting in the classroom, then the school hall during assembly and later in the church. Fast-forwarding through life was exciting and fun. Well... at least for a little while.
I started landing small roles in musicals while late-night rehearsals and early mornings became a way of life and at the same time, a place to hide from my peers until tragedy struck in 2012
No, I'm not referring to 2012 the movie stating that the world was coming to an end. I'm referring to an experience that could have ended my world!
For six months I lived as a mute - constantly in and out of speech therapy, accompanied by daily pills and what seemed to be like a never-ending silence. A severe case of vocal nodules threatened to take away my voice entirely, meaning I would never be able to speak again in my life. However, within a matter of months my miraculous recovery opened a gateway to even bigger stages such as New York City where I represented South Africa in the World Championships of Performing Arts. It offered may great things, but not fulfilment. It was a strange feeling having my voice back but not being sure what to stay.
On the 12th of September 2017 I found myself stripped back down to the core of where it all started: My old wooden Livingroom floor, I tried to take some time to soak in what happened earlier that day as I found myself in a school hall talking to young girls about my losing my voice and being bullied for seven years. It is through the burning tears and aching hearts that it finally hit me: This is what I was meant to do. I found my real voice through the stages of my life and I will do whatever I can to help make a difference through coaching and my own music.
I'm just starting out! And I will make it!