Jessie Hillel
Singer, 11
Wellington
To join the conversation about Jessie on
Twitter
, use
#JessieNZGT
Little Jessie says she's been singing since she was just
two-years-old!
Recognising her amazing musicality her self-confessed non-musical
Mum and Dad have been paying for her to have singing and piano
lessons since the age of five. She's also recently begun guitar
lessons too.
Jessie's parents, both IT workers, hail from Kerala, India
settling in Wellington in 1996 after her father was offered a
posting here and the couple fell in love with the relaxed New
Zealand lifestyle.
Jessie has one other sibling, a 15-year-old sister called Julie,
who is also a talented pianist. The pair often stage impromptu
concerts for their parents at home. But while Julie usually shies
away from performing in public, Jessie adores an audience.
Last year she and Julie were nominated for TVNZ's What Now Rising
Stars award, while this year Jessie gave a steller solo performance
before a rapt crowd at the popular Festival of the Elements in
Porirua on Waitangi Day.
The schoolgirl's other major passion in life is reading. Harry
Potter currently reins supreme!
