Berwick’s Paris Maggs is set to record her first album.
By Rebecca Fraser
WHEN Berwick’s Paris Maggs told her father she wanted a recording contract by the age of 13, little did he know that this dream would come true.
On Tuesday night the year 7 student received the surprise of her life, when she was telephoned and told on live television that she had been selected as one of four young singers to head up new Australian pop band the Charmz.
The self-taught singer will now fly to Sydney on Monday to record an album under the guidance of former Australian Idol singer and pop star Ricki-Lee. The album, set for national release in the June-July school holidays, coincides with the launch of The Barbie Diaries movie, and Ms Maggs will be recording original songs from the film’s soundtrack.
Only weeks ago the Berwick Secondary College student entered a competition run by Mattel and Nickelodeon, who were searching for four singers aged eight to 14.
The winners were selected from across the country and until Tuesday evening Ms Maggs was under the impression that she had only made the top 15. Her family had to keep the news under wraps so she was completely surprised when the Nickelodeon Channel rang her and gave her the news live on pay television.
Proud father Gary Maggs this week said he could not believe that his daughter had achieved her goal in such a short period of time. “Her goal was to have a recording contract by age of 13. Two weeks after her 13th birthday she did. When she came to me I said to her are you sure you have not got the numbers around the wrong way because you are like 12 and a half,” he said.
“She met her goal within six months of setting the target. She had never been in a studio and there was nothing in the wind to suggest this was going to happen,” he said.
Ms Maggs spotted the competition on the Internet just days before entries closed. She took some time off school to record her demo tape and her father raced the tape down to Mattel’s head office in Richmond and handed over the tape personally.
Music does run in the Maggs family with Gary a keen singer and older sister Chloe making it through to the top 100 of Australian Idol and top 30 in the Channel 10 series X-Factor.
Ms Maggs is hoping this is the break she needs to forge a singing career. She is set to receive a host of prizes as part of the competition including a new wardrobe.
She will also go on a promotional tour for the album.
