The promise Ria Diy scratched under her bed headboard won’t be erased anytime soon.
When she lies down to sleep, the graffiti she scrawled at age 10 serves as a reminder.
“I am the next star,” it says.
For Diy, the words are more than a dream now. Last week, they became a reality.
Diy, who just turned 15, was nominated as a “wild-card” contestant on the YTV show The Next Star. Although she did not make the top 12, Diy is thrilled she got a mention on the show and her audition video was played on TV.
“I never expected anything,” said Diy, who also performs on FYE Live! - a Filipino variety TV show that airs on Shaw Multicultural Channel.
The Thomas Haney Secondary School student auditioned with 600 others in May and got the chance to meet one of her pop idols - Keshia Chanté.
Diy sang an original song for the audition called Anywhere but Here. She describes it as a ballad for her teenage friends, who believe they’ll never find someone to love them.
“It’s me telling them you just have to wait, there is someone perfect out there for you,” Diy explained.
Diy, who has been singing since she was six, is taking her talent a little more seriously these days.
She’s getting vocal lessons and has been doing the rounds at open mic sessions, including one at the Kanaka Creek Coffee House. She practices in her room daily. The posters on her bedroom wall and inspirational notes tacked in prominent places inspire her.
All that practice has helped build her confidence. Last week, she won Ridge Meadows Got Talent at Country Fest.
“I’ve got a lot of support,” says Diy. Her parents and sister are intensely proud of her.
Although Diy didn’t make the TV show, she’s isn’t defeated.
“It makes me want to work harder,” says Diy.
“This is what I was born to do.”