The parish of Killucan has been buzzing since last week, with the news that young Emma Hynes has landed herself a singing spot on this year’s Late Late Toy Show on RTE. Just ten years old, the determined young lady had her sights set on the coveted spot for some time and is happy that her persistence paid off – even though she first received word from RTE she hadn’t made it, but then a day or two later, got the magic call asking her to sing on the show.
By Áine Leech
The family sent off Emma’s audition tape back in October – a home video of Emma performing ‘Naughty’ from ‘Malta’. “I had learnt it for my grade three exams and knew it well so I just thought ‘why not’?” she said. Soon, dad Dougie got the call from RTE, asking if Emma knew any pop songs. “She started listing all the possible ones until finally she said Meghan Trainor and I knew Emma could do that, having done it for Karaoke on our holiday in France.”
Emma has been singing from the age of six and is currently a student in Andrew Yau’s school of music and working towards her singing exams. “I just love to sing, act and dance,” said Emma of her trio of skills.
A member of the Young Voices choir, the Music Generation’s Offaly/Westmeath’s Singfest, Emma is no stranger to performing in front of an audience and will be busy preparing for that also, in the run-up to Christmas.
After sending the audition tape, Emma was then asked to audition in front of a judging panel and camera crew in RTE studios “We went up and got sound checked before going in.” Although it seems as though Emma was showing no signs of nerves ahead of her auditions, Mam and Dad Lesly and Dougie Hynes definitely had their fair share.
“Oh man, were we nervous!” laughs Dougie. “On the morning of the audition, the traffic was stopped on the M50 and all I kept thinking was I had to get Emma there on time.”
With the packed sandwiches gone by that stage, thankfully Dougie found a way there and Emma was ready just on time to settle herself and head in.
The whole audition process only took between five and ten minutes. . “You just sing and wait for the news,” she said.
With thousands of applicants for the Toy Show every year, Lesley and Dougie didn’t want to get Emma’s hopes too high. “After she got a call for the audition, I said, “Come on, Emma, let’s celebrate this because even that itself was a huge achievement,” but Emma was determined.
Leaving RTE studios happy with her audition, there was nothing left to do only wait for a call but they left Dublin with a good feeling. “Even the cameraman was bopping along to her song, and she got a big round of applause. It looked like everyone loved her.”
After an anxious few weeks of constantly checking the phone Emma’s mum Lesley finally got the RTE call. “We were on the way home from Nanny’s when I got the call to say Emma didn’t get it. It was hard, but we knew we just had to tell her quick and not let it drag on.” Although Emma admitted she was upset, she was determined not to let it keep her spirits down. “I was just so sad because it had taken so long to master it. It was a bit of a knock down, but I said I would come back fighting.”
Luckily for Emma, that wasn’t needed at all. On Wednesday evening the whole family were together on the couch “which was unusual for us because usually some of us are out doing something.” Next thing, Dougie received a phone call from RTE to say they had good news and asked would Emma be interested in coming on the show and sing with a few other girls.
“I said that would be a dream.”
Once she got the news, Emma told her best friend and her grandparents straight away.
“When I rang, Grandad just shouted ‘On ya boya’”. Emma’s Grandad Donie Smyth is no stranger to the stage himself as winner of Killucan’s Strictly Come Dancing this year, and was thrilled at the good news.
“My teacher, Ms Morgan, wanted to know everything and I had to tell my whole class. All my classmates were super excited and they all started hugging me and saying congratulations.” Since word has spread, all the locals have been dying to hear all about it..
The dream for Emma is to make it to the Bord Gáis one-day play Mary Poppins, inspired by the family’s annual trips to the theatre in Dublin.
Her on-stage career was kicked off as young Rapunzel a few years back and as mum Lesley noted, “There are so many talented singers around, but Emma has just such a sunny personality.”
