POWELL RIVER, B.C. – Gitta May Nielsen is hoping The Shot will open doors for her singing career.
The Powell River resident is among 40 vocalists selected for callbacks for the singing competition.
The next round of auditions are taking place Sept. 9 in Kitchener, Ont.
Nielsen’s video audition put her among the finalists chosen from hundreds of submissions.
If she emerges from the cuts, Nielsen will perform in Season 6 of The Shot, debuting in September.
Open to singers ages 16 and older from all over the world, The Shot is part of Canada’s biggest vocal talent search.
Competitors will perform in front of a panel that includes new coaches Blair Packham and Micah Barnes, and returning coaches Danya Dixon, Jessie T. and C.J. Allen.
Nielsen is looking forward to showing her talent at the next phase of auditions in Kitchener.
“It feels amazing – it’s absolutely amazing. I’ve been singing for many, many years and just the opportunity to go to something like this is just outstanding,” she said. “I’ll be going and auditioning and singing at the Conrad Centre for Performing Arts, and working my way through the competition and hopefully at the end get a recording contract. It’s just kind of surreal for me, really.”
Nielsen calls it a “once in a lifetime experience.”
But she isn’t resting on her laurels. Nielsen has also auditioned for The Launch on CTV, and says she’ll know by the end of August whether or not she’ll make the cut for that show.
For the here and now, Nielsen is confident that her vocal talents will impress the coaches in Ontario.
“It’s all kind of crazy,” she said.
“I’m going to go and give it my best shot and hopefully make it through the competition and make Canada proud, and do my thing. I know that I was born to do this and it’s actually time for me to have a shot. I’m really fortunate and really excited about it.”
