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Raybetz says he’s back for Digicel Rising Stars title - Good performances highlight Ocho Rios audition

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Carl Gilchrist - STAR Writer
June 26, 2023
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Raheem Betty, aka Raybetz, returned to Digicel Rising Stars after five years with a truckload of confidence.
Raheem Betty, aka Raybetz, returned to Digicel Rising Stars after five years with a truckload of confidence.
Delight! Tamesha Wilson (left) of Port Antonio, Portland, and Sashae Evans of Ocho Rios, St Ann, show their return tickets after performing at Digicel Rising Stars’ audition in Ocho Rios on Saturday.
Delight! Tamesha Wilson (left) of Port Antonio, Portland, and Sashae Evans of Ocho Rios, St Ann, show their return tickets after performing at Digicel Rising Stars’ audition in Ocho Rios on Saturday.
Remone Watson (left) and Javid Wilson, both from Montego Bay, St James, advanced. Watson sang ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’, while Wilson performed ‘A Change is Gonna Come’.
Remone Watson (left) and Javid Wilson, both from Montego Bay, St James, advanced. Watson sang ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’, while Wilson performed ‘A Change is Gonna Come’.
Quwayne Dyer, aka IJah-Maaki, from St Ann, was among the contestants.
Quwayne Dyer, aka IJah-Maaki, from St Ann, was among the contestants.
‘I made it!’ exclaimed Raneka Lee from Montego Bay, after getting her return ticket from the judges.
‘I made it!’ exclaimed Raneka Lee from Montego Bay, after getting her return ticket from the judges.
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St Ann singer Raheem Betty, who goes by the stage name Raybetz, has returned to the Digicel Rising Stars competition after five years, promising to take what's "rightfully" his.

Raybetz was one of several aspirants who turned out at Turtle River Park in Ocho Rios on Saturday to audition for the 2023 edition of the popular series. The audition attracted participants from several parishes, including Hanover, St James, Trelawny, St Mary, Portland, Kingston and Clarendon.

"I'm back to take what's rightfully mine!" Raybetz said, after performing Al Green's Let's Stay Together, which earned him a pass to the next round of the competition.

"I believe a second chance is all I need to remind Jamaica of who I am and what I have to offer to the music industry, both locally and internationally. I think the second time around, because I have the experience, I know what to do. Now I think I have a chance of winning," said the singer, who made the top seven in 2018.

A small crowd and a late start could not overshadow the obvious talent that several contestants showed. One such performer, Sashae Evans, of Ocho Rios, after performing a fabulous rendition of Alicia Keys' Fallin, forced judge Alaine to remark, "You have everything!" The second contestant of the day, Rayon Henry, aka Ray Star, of Coopers Pen, Trelawny, was the first to receive a callback, and was followed by Brianna Brown of Clarendon. Roxanne Nelson of Linstead, St Catherine, advanced with a rendition of Jimmy Cliff's Many Rivers to Cross, as did York Castle High School's sixth form student Toni-Ann Ingram. Ingram, who had the support of her mom, Camille Ricketts, and classmate Rukeeme Donegan, performed Born to Win, while Rebecca Bissoon advanced after singing I Will Always Love You.

Digicel Rising Stars started in June 2004 and has exposed Jamaican talent over the years, including artistes such as Romain Virgo, Christopher Martin, and Shuga. Last year, teenage footballer Mozein Sutherland won the competition.

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