Bermuda Idol plans a career in music

Bermuda Idol winner Latosha Coddrington has been singing since she was three-years-old and winning the competition has encouraged her to follow her dream to become a professional singer.

She was up against 13 other contestants in the singing contest organized by HOTT 107.5 and won with her soulful version of Cry Me A River by Ella Fitzgerald and Take Me To The King by Tamela Mann.

Coddrington, 29, took home $3,000 and a recording contract at Glenn Blakeney’s Bermuda Soul as well as the title of Bermuda Idol 2013. It is the second competition she has won this year — in September she won the Sunday Best competition organized by Leroy Simmons of Love Alive Ministries.

Speaking to the Bermuda Sun she said that winning Bermuda Idol gave her a new confidence in her talent: “I didn’t realise the impact I had on people until after the show — I heard the crowd go up but I thought that was because most of them knew me. It was just incredible. I love that that happened.

“Everybody always tells me that I don’t realise the gift that I have and I am very nonchalant about it. I got in to this slight confidence after winning Sunday Best — I am not boastful — I put myself on YouTube but that was only because I want to get found. I do know that I have a gift.”

As part of her prize in the Sunday Best competition, Coddrington won singing lessons with Bermuda’s Marcelle Clemens. She said the lessons have gone a long way to improving her voice.

“Marcelle was one of the judges and she really liked my voice and wanted to work with me. At first she wouldn’t let me sing — she had me breathing and do the things I needed to do to sustain my voice.

“I could sing before and it sounded pretty but it wasn’t professionally done. It was much easier to do it her way. I was back stage at Bermuda Idol practicing my breathing before I got on stage and it worked. It was unbelievable. I wasn’t in pain afterwards it felt very normal after I finished singing — emotionally I was a wreck!”

Singers John Seymour and Nicole Crumpler came second and third place respectively in the Bermuda Idol competition.

Coddrington, attends New Testament Churches of God — Miracle Temple, where she sings in the church choir. From the age of 12 she has worked as a backing singer for John Woolridge’s Just Platinum Records on commercials and albums. Most recently she sang backing vocals for Jamaican roots, reggae artist Luciano.

Original music

She said that she would like to sing original music for her upcoming Bermuda Soul contract.

She said: “I have a lot of family members who write and I have worked with John Woolridge since I was 12 years old — I know there are a lot of songs out there I could choose from.”

Coddrington has a single out already called Love written by Leroy Simmons which she recorded with LA Crew.

“We had a live show at Heritage Worship Centre and I sang Love and My Exceeding Joy but that is not out yet.”

Coddrington said she was destined to be a singer as she comes from a musical family of Lees, Smiths and Furberts to name a few.

“It is really in my family. It is a church family, you know how that goes, and they told me to let it out. I’ve done it all my life I have never known anything else.

“My momma has been trying to get me to do these competitions forever and I always felt that if God gave me the gift, why do I have to compete against somebody else to see who is better than who — we all have a gift. It didn’t feel right. I don’t have a job and I know I needed to get cash so I just tried.

“I love to sing in a studio because there’s no people involved. I have been doing it since I was 12-years-old and I would love to do it forever. I really would.”

Coddrington has twin daughters aged three-years-old and she said they are already showing an interest in music.