By Matthew Sims
At only 10 years of age, Brentwood Park Primary School student Rashika Banerjee already has a number of singing accolades and achievements to her name.
She is now one of three finalists gearing up to battle it out in the Take the Mic Australia competition, with the grand final set to be held on Sunday 15 October.
Starting at the age of six, Rashika said she quickly fell in love with singing and performing in front of people.
“I thought singing would be a good career for me,” she said.
“Singing makes me feel like I can present how I feel.
“It’s also a really fun hobby.”
Rashika said she loved singing slow pop songs, including songs from Olivia Rodrigo, Celine Dion and Adele.
One of her first public performances was at Bunjil Place with Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’.
She continued her efforts in singing, getting through the audition for MyVoice in 2022, a global singing competition with participants from 27 countries participating.
Rashika secured second place globally and first place in Australia in the silver category.
Rashika was selected by Melbourne Kids Theatre to play the leading character of Anna in Disney’s Frozen Jr.
“I like acting and singing,” she said.
Rashika said she likes to sing across a variety of styles and ranges, including soprano and alto.
“With my voice, my friends say I have very good agility,” she said.
Her father Sid said he was very proud of his daughter’s abilities.
“Her music sense is very strong,” he said.
Her mother Krishna said the family’s Indian roots created a cultural love for music.
Rashika said her goals were to be a singer or an actor.
“I would love to make my own kind of music and star in movies,” she said.
