I wish someone had told me that my singing is a real talent.

“I wish someone had told me” is a series of posts that feed into our inquisitive nature at CN&CO. Each week we hear from someone in our network about something interesting or surprising that’s recently happened or occurred to them – or lessons they learnt. These blogs are a way to pay it forward and form part of CN&CO’s belief that the world can be a better place – and we all have a responsibility to make it so. This week’s post is by Rikus Kok. Unsurprisingly, it features him singing.

I really struggle with writing for the CN&CO blog. Like really struggle. Putting pen to paper (or rather keyboard) is an uphill battle. While some of my team mates write at the drop of a hat, others (like Penny and me) take a bit longer. Well a lot longer! But with Carel not giving any of us a free ride, we all must contribute and do our bit. So, my I wish is late, but here goes – and I hope you enjoy.

I wish someone had told me that my singing is a real talent. Despite studying musical theatre for a while, I am not always confident in my singing ability. However, when I was at a recent function I had arranged for a CN&CO client and one of the musicians was surprised that I could sing (did he think I was a boring corporate person haha?!?!) I decided it was time I went back to my roots.

And so I recorded a song I sang for my year end vocal exam (and which I later sang in the Seychelles for a production we put on for a Sheik). The song is from the musical Hairspray (and we all know how much I love musicals. I used the setup I use for many of the social media and other video clips I do for clients. I just sang the song for myself – to see if I still could! But then decided to share the recording with all of you.

We may not always show our talents to those around us, but we all have unique talents that make us who we are. I am very grateful that I can sing – it gives me great joy – and I hope it does you also. The lyrics of this song I also love – life should not be lived alone, but with family, friends, colleagues, partners – people who bring out the best in us (the type you wan to braai with as per another I wish I wrote)

So next time you see my putting an event together, know that I am thinking – what would I like as a performer – because that’s often what I strive to give our CN&CO clients as an experience!