The Undiscovered Star - Sylvia Nguyen

How do you define the definition of a talented music artist? How do you compare the talent of one music artist to another?

I know a talented young 17 year old girl who has the vocals of Mariah Carey and writes deep meaningful lyrics that express the experiences of a young woman. At the age of 3 she started singing and entered talent competitions at the age of 10. At the age of 13 she picked up the guitar, google searched guitar chords and taught herself how to play. She wrote her first song in 15 minutes at the age of 15 when she was told she had her first gig at the Executive Snooker Club in Mississauga just so she can have one non-cover song to play.

This girl I know happens to be my younger half sister, Sylvia Nguyen. I know that most of you think that I am being a biased, but I'm not. I know an amazing voice when I hear it, I know a catchy song when it touches my soul to the point where I have goosebumps appearing on my skin when I am listening to her number 3 track song called "Not Another Girl". It amazes me how motivated she is and how she can write about such deep life experiences at such a young age, and write it into a song and that touches and relate to most people. It confuses me at the same time when I think about the April that went by when she was turned down in the first round of Canadian Idol.

My best friend and I had waited in line with her for 3 hours at Dundas Square, raining in the freezing cold with a gut feeling knowing that she would definitely make the first round of Canadian Idol. As she went through to her first audition, friends and family had to wait and step aside. My best friend and I walked 2 hours of laps inside the Eaton Centre mall, killing time and wondering whether or not she had made it through, and waiting for her call to confirm that she did. A total of 5 hours later, I received a phone call from her saying that no one in the one group she sang with made it, even though they were supposed to choose 3 out of the group of 5. I was in shock while I listened to her on the phone, telling me how confused she was, since she didn't even miss a note on the "Killing Me Softly" song that she chose to sing and telling me about the other people who heard her practicing raving about how beautiful her voice was.

My boyfriend and I picked her up from Dundas Square and brought her back to my apartment in Toronto. I was actually surprised to how well she took it, telling me that this experience was going to push her to become the musician she wants to be and will be. Sylvia Nguyen doesn't need a show like Canadian Idol to help her become discovered. Canadian Idol contestants are mostly singers, contestants who sing the songs of other musicians. They don't write songs and they don't touch people in the way Sylvia Nguyen can.

As I sat in my living room, I watched my sister sit in my bedroom alone with the guitar, sadly singing and playing soulfully, probably writing a song about the whole experience. This girl looked so determined that I know....a couple of years down the road, she will no longer be an undiscovered star.