Powell River singer/songwriter Gitta May Nielsen has been named a top ten finalist in the nationally televised singing competition The Shot. Her video audition for the vocal talent search was chosen from among hundreds of submissions across the country.
She will now be performing at the grand finale showcase in Kitchener, Ontario, on Saturday, September 29.
“It’ll go down to five finalists that day, and then the number-one spot, which is a people’s choice and judges,” said Nielsen. Already, the experience has been a life-changing one, she added. “It’s just incredible, what a ride it’s been,” said Nielsen, who is originally from Hinton, Alberta, but has called Powell River home for the past 20 years.
Performing for a crowd started in early childhood for Nielsen.
“It goes back to my earliest memories; I was always fascinated with music,” she said. “I crashed my first stage when I was three years old. I went up on stage, grabbed the microphone out of the singer’s hand and started to sing.”
She joined her first band at 19, singing solo and with various groups ever since. In addition to music, she has worked as a waitress all her life, she added.
The opportunity with The Shot is already opening doors for Nielsen as a musician. Her aim now is to work in the music industry full time.
“Performing is my number-one goal,” she said. “I’m going to be songwriting and collaborating with other musicians and putting out my first album in the next year.”
This may involve spending more time back east, at least temporarily, she added.
“I plan to travel back to Toronto and catch up with a lot of the connections I’ve made there during this experience,” said Nielsen. “A move to Toronto might be in the cards for me short term.”
For the time being her sights are set on the next stage of competition and staying mindful of what originally led her to pursue music.
“What inspires me musically is the freedom to express myself,” she said. “I love that it’s a universal language. It brings people together. It heals people.”
