Limestone singer wins Northern Star

By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
    CARIBOU — As performers waited behind the CPAC curtain for their shot at becoming the next Northern Star on Feb. 27, judges vocalized their high standards for the next singing sensation; they expected the 2011 Northern Star to own the stage, possess ample God-given talent, have the skill to make the song they performed their own and above all, “they need to bring it,” said judge Samantha Boutot. Nineteen-year-old DeShawn Lamarr Russell exceeded all of those expectations.
    Owning the stage and captivating the audience, Russell’s talent is not only God-given but God-blessed — even Gabriel himself may have very well sat down and harkened to hear Russell’s exceptional octave-spanning, clef-defying vocals to first “Ave Maria” as performed by Beyonce Knowles, and then “You” as performed by Jesse Powell to clinch his title during the final-three competition to determine who was the top soloist in the region.
    “Talk about raw talent,” said Northern Star judge Dan Ladner. “Not only do you hit that high note on the ‘Ave Maria’ once, but you hit it perfectly three times and that’s unbelievable.”
    What many in the audience found to be truly unbelievable, however, was that Russell was turned away from American Idol when he auditioned back in 2007.
    “I’m thinking that American Idol should do a recount right about now,” said event co-host Jason Parent; his comment was met by resounding applause from the audience.
    Originally from Bridgeport, Conn. and currently residing in Limestone while he attends the Loring Job Corps Center, Russell felt incredible after winning the title.
    “I feel so great, it’s like a blessing,” he said.
    The judges, on the other hand, seemed to have felt blessed to witness Russell’s performance, two of which mentioned that it was a privilege to hear him sing.
    After Russell stunned the crowd with his performance of “You,” judge Jason Anderson couldn’t seem to say enough about the teenage vocalist.
    “I just heard every single one of my favorite R&B artists from like 1961 until now in that performance … you are Luther Vandross incarnate,” Anderson told Russell. “You worked an audience without lifting a finger and you make it look so effortless.”
    For his first performance as the 2011 Northern Star, many of his fans and friends from the Loring Job Corps Center rushed the auditorium to listen stage-front as Russell, again, hit every note of “Ave Maria” with remarkable brilliance that one would truly expect from a Northern Star.
    But Russell wasn’t alone at the top of the world on Sunday night; he was joined by the two winners of the Northern Star United, siblings Gabrielle, 16, and Christian, 13, Sirois of Drummond, N.B.
    “I thought this show was unbelievably good,” said Claudia Stevens of the United Way of Aroostook. “We have had many comments on the show as it being the best one ever but we hear that every year. Just when we think it is as good as it gets, it gets better!”
    According to Stevens, the final figures regarding just how much fund-raising was accomplished for the United Way through the Northern Star competitions were not quite finished being tabulated as of Tuesday afternoon, but will surpass $28,000.
    Other talented performers during the show included:
    • Wyatt Jenkins, 18, of Houlton, who sang “Hollywood” by Michael Bublè. Ladner told Jenkins, “I couldn’t help but think of “American Idol” on TV and think that you’re much better than a lot of those contestants.”
    • Brandon Clark, 17, of Houlton, who sang “Mad World” by Gary Jules. Boutot told Clark, “I liked how you started really soft with your song and got stronger [as it progressed].”
    • Todd Corey, 43, of Mars Hill, who sang “Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison. Anderson asked the audience, “When I close my eyes and listen to him, all I could hear was Waylon Jennings, does anybody else hear that?” to which the audience cheered.
    • Courtney Birt, 18, of Fort Kent, who sang “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going,” by Jennifer Hudson. Ladner told Birt, “I thought you had total control of that song.”
    • Cissy Buck, 28, of Caribou, who sang “Killing me Softly,” as performed by The Fugees. Anderson told Buck, “I think you had the audience eating out of the palm of your hand waiting to hear the next phrase; really great performance.”
    • Indya Ouellette, 14, of Madawaska, who sang “Never Alone” by Lady Antebellum, accompanied by her boyfriend Ryan Remalia on acoustic guitar. After Ladner got over the shock of Ouellette being only 14, he told the young singer that she has a very powerful voice and, “I thought you were a great singer and I can see why you made it here to the finals.”
    • Darci St. Pierre, 22, and Brenda Ellis, 28, both of Houlton, together performed “Rockin’ with the Rhythm of the Rain” by The Judds. Boutot told the duo, “What a great beat for this song, great audience involvement; you seem like you’re fun-loving gals!”
    This is the second year of the Northern Star competition, formerly Aroostook Idol, and the event continues to gain popularity, much like 2010 Northern Star Isabelle Pelletier, 13 of St. Jacques, N.B.; within the past year she’s gone on to win Maritime Idol in Canada and performed five 45-minute shows in Europe — two in Switzerland and three in France.
    While Northern Star continues to be a great opportunity for the United Way of Aroostook to raise funds, it also presents United Way officials with an opportunity to travel throughout the County to the areas that they serve and let people know what the organization is doing to help people in their communities, something that Russell and the Sirois will be a part of for 2011.
    “In the coming year United Way will be asking our winners to be present at a few of our events but they will receive a lot of requests from the public for various singing opportunities that they will pick and choose what they want to participate in,” Stevens said.
    The event has been overwhelmingly received by both United Way officials and community members as another successful event highlighting the talented individuals of the area, but what’s next for 2012?
    “I think you will see Northern Star continue to grow next year and I anticipate that we will have more groups participating,” Stevens predicted.