Laura Jenkins, a 12 year old from Liverpool, England, has emulated Connie Francis by winning a national talent show - performing as Connie. It was on the television programme “Stars In Their Eyes Kids” [photo from Evening Times].
by Guy Consterdine
June 6, 2003
Laura Jenkins, a 12 year old from Liverpool, England, has emulated Connie Francis by winning a national talent show - performing as Connie. It was on the television programme “Stars In Their Eyes Kids” [photo from Evening Times].
I watched Laura win her heat, and two weeks later watched her win the final.
At the beginning of Laura’s spot on the first programme it was funny to listen to her being interviewed as herself and talking in a thick Liverpool accent. I wondered how she could change her accent sufficiently to sound even remotely like Connie. Moreover blonde Laura didn’t look anything like Connie. However when she came on stage with dark wig, early 1960s make-up and a typical Connie frock, she was a very passable look-alike.
Laura sang “Where The Boys Are” with an excellent voice — which was a shade thinner and weaker than Connie’s at a similar age, I felt, but definitely promising for a 12 year old. We have Connie’s voice on record at age 12 or 13, on the final tracks of Bear Family’s “White Sox” boxed set CD1, and I reckon Connie’s voice is stronger and more outstandingly gifted, but then I’m comparing Laura against the very best.
The musical accompaniment behind Laura was an exact reproduction of what we’re so familiar with on “Where The Boys Are,” right down to piano and guitar chords and the backing singers.
Laura has a very good stage presence, and did not appear nervous. She emulated some of Connie’s singing mannerisms accurately. Her Liverpool accent had disappeared — another indication of some real ability. And then there was the delight of finding the audience voted her the best performer in her heat! So “Connie Francis” went into the final two weeks later.
In the final Laura sang well, though I thought she was not quite as inspired as two weeks earlier. She performed “Where The Boys Are” again, and wore the same 1960-ish Connie-style frock. At the end of her song the hostess Cat Deeley said she had two gifts for her. First was the Bear Family “White Sox” CD boxed set, and secondly, from Connie herself, a framed composite consisting of a signed photo of Connie and a CD.
Television viewers were invited to vote for the winner. We saw singers getting total votes such as 12,710 and 54, 861 then suddenly Laura as Connie had 156,455, which proved to be 45,000 votes more than the next singer.
When Laura found she’d won she couldn’t believe it, and I was jumping up and down in disbelieving excitement too. I admired Laura’s composure in pulling herself together to give the winner’s rendering of the winning song — and now she was truly inspired.
I did genuinely think Laura was the most talented singer on view, and thought she could possibly have a real singing career ahead of her. Her voice suggests that her natural style will be rather different from Connie’s, but it could be commercial. Connie herself spent a long spell copying other singers, on demo discs, before she found her own style and maybe Laura will find hers too in the coming years. I detected a touch of Helen Shapiro in Laura’s voice.
It was a treat to watch Connie portrayed live on TV again. And good to look in the week’s TV programme guide magazine and see the name “Connie Francis” printed there — I haven’t seen that for a long time.
The TV shows must have introduced several million British youngsters, and some Mums and Dads, to a star who they’d never heard of before, and reminded lots of other Mums and Dads, and grandparents, of a great singer they’d loved.
For a related article see http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5016066.html