RILEY White does not take singing or guitar lessons, yet the 11-year-old struck a big chord with the judges of the Times Youth Music Scholarship and was named as a finalist.
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Riley simply picked up a guitar and started singing along to his tunes 18 months ago and has not looked back.
“Dad used to play the guitar quite a lot and has heaps of books, so I just started playing chords out of them,” Riley said.
The Ulladulla Public School student was asked to enter the Times Youth Music Scholarship along with other musical gems at his school and went on to impress the judges at auditions with his renditions of Simon and Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair and Blackbird by The Beatles.
Riley plans to play these songs, as well as Rocky Raccoon, also by The Beatles, and Stand By Me when he takes to the stage on Australia Day.
Other than a few talent expos at school it will be Riley’s biggest performance so far, but despite the occasion, he said he was feeling confident.
Riley said he was not sure what he would do if he took out first place.
“I will probably just buy a good guitar and use the money to go towards my music,” he said.
