FOR THE ADMISSION PRICE OF A TICKET, the hundreds who were at Holders, St James for the 28th CHUM FM 104.5 Breakfast In Barbados showcase last Sunday night were treated to star-studded performances by four international artistes.
Gracing the stage was Nikki Williams, Demi Lavato and RaVaughn – with amazing voices and energy to match – but the crowd-pleaser was the three-time Grammy award winner, Ne-Yo, appearing on his second show in Barbados.
Williams got the show started. And despite it being the South African singer-songwriter’s first international performance, she owned the stage like a veteran singing four songs – Walk Of Shame, Run Run Run and the two songs that are her lead singles Kill Love Marry and Glowing – all of which are set to be on her first album to be released later this year.
Lovato followed with what can only be described as monster electro-pop-rock performance with some impressive Kelly Clarkson/Avril Lavine-esque wailing. The multi-talented singer-songwriter, musician, actress, dancer and television personality not only thrilled her own fans but gained new ones with songs like Get Back, Here We Go Again, her newest release Heart Attack which she co-wrote with Williams, and Give Your Heart A Break to name a few.
During her hour-long performance not only did she belt out tunes with fervour but she switched between playing the guitar and the keyboards before offering some sound advice while revealing a bit about her recent troubles that led to a stint in rehab before launching into her lead single Skyscraper, the song that represents the journey she had been on last year.
RaVaughn, who has collaborated with Ne-Yo, brought an R&B flavour to the show with her Better Be Good single as well as Best Friend and It’s Over. But the boisterous crowd was most enlivened once headliner Ne-Yo entered from stage left with slow and deliberate steps to the front of the stage, wearing his winning smile and his iconic trilby hat before he brought on an onslaught of songs spanning more than ten years.
The singer, who’s truly become pop-R&B royalty, performed some of the hits that he has been simultaneously racking up for everyone’s fame – from Pitbull’s collaboration Give Me Everything to Young Jeezy’s Leave You Alone while at the same time, notching his own top 10 singles for himself like the popular Let Me Love You – a song title that started his career in 2004.
Some 15 songs later, including some slow and easy hits like Leave Me Alone and Sexy Love, Ne-Yo “tun it up” again performing favourites like Miss Independent, So Sick, Give Me Everything and Closer and from his new album R.E.D. he sang Carry On and Forever Now then ended his hour-long performance bare-chested and leaving his fans chanting his name for more.