( l - r ) Wilks, Hammond

IT WAS a tear-filled night in September 2007 when Lenya Wilks endured a nerve-wracking elimination for a spot in the top three of the Digicel Rising Stars competition.

While Wilks was shocked and disappointed at her early departure from the show, it was a night that transformed the singer from a rising star to one that has shone on stages across the globe. As she saw her hopes of being the next Digicel Rising Stars winner squashed, the then 17-year-old singer got a call that would change her life forever.

Into Wilks' life stepped living legend Beres Hammond, who enlisted the youngster under his tutelage for his Harmony House label.

TOURING

Two years later, she has travelled the world performing alongside Hammond and is ready to showcase that journey from naïvety to maturity in her debut album, Innocence Gone.

Since joining Harmony House in January 2008, she has performed and wooed audiences at Hammond's A Moment in Time show, as well as shows in Barbados, Belize and England.

"The first year I toured as a young artiste was wonderful. It took a lot of hard work, having to perform night after night and having to deliver, but it was an experience that I am thankful for," said Wilks. "The second year of touring I had grown and learnt more about the craft and was able to perform on a different level and it was just great."

While many were not familiar with the singer's name, as soon as her voice was heard, she gained fans everywhere she went, and even drew comparisons to Whitney Houston and Anita Baker, and was labelled the female version of Hammond.

Hammond said Wilks made a name for herself on their recent 10-week tour of North America.

"They loved her out there and she got quite a few fans," he said, adding his staff got numerous requests for her at their merchandising stand after the concerts.

ALBUM

Wilks said her album, to be released next spring, will reflect her growth through touring and her personal development.

"It's about a young girl breaking into a world that's not easy to get into and one of maturing," she said. "It's definitely going to be different from the rest, a cut above the rest. There's a mix of reggae, R&B, a little Latin."

The album includes love, inspirational and dance songs, some of them written by Wilks. The first single is the title track, Innocence Gone, which has been released already. There will also be a collaboration between her and Hammond to be released in Christmas called Let Me Love You Again.

Hammond has been a major influence in Wilk's life, saying that one of the most important lessons she has learnt from watching him is to always be humble. He has also been bringing her some extra attention.

"Working with Beres, it really brings a different kind of thought to people's minds that you are in Beres Hammond's camp and he's one of the greatest singers in reggae music," she said. "For me to be working with him, it really does make a lot of difference and makes people think that you must be something special."

With the support of her family behind her, Wilks has big dreams for her future, hoping one day, like Hammond, to become an icon in the business.

"I want to go the furthest I can. I want to excel to be someone people can look up to and, more important, someone who will make a difference," she said.