She’s not even 15 years old, but this Israeli-born girl is blessed with a powerful singing voice that belies her years. Now Maya Gamzu is hoping her success on this season of reality TV show Canada’s Got Talent will be her ticket to stardom.
Gamzu and her family moved from Tel Aviv to Richmond Hill, Ont., four years ago. She had been performing in Hebrew ever since she was a toddler, but mastering the English language was a challenge she embraced to reach a wider audience.
Although she doesn’t flaunt it, her Jewish and Israeli roots are a huge part of her identity. For her audition episode, she wore a red string bracelet around her left wrist, which she brought from the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Originally, Gamzu hoped to make a connection with the lone Jewish judge on the show, comedian Howie Mandel. But surprisingly it was the award-winning rapper Kardinal Offishall who became her champion, and awarded the Grade 9 student at Westmount Collegiate Institute the so-called “Golden Buzzer”—sending her straight through to the semi-finals. That episode airs tonight, May 2, on Citytv.
Maya Gamzu and her father, Sergei, join The CJN Daily to share their journey and take us behind the scenes of the popular show.
What we talked about
- Watch Maya Gamzu’s audition and interview with Canada’s Got Talent
- Follow her on Instagram
- Vote for Maya Gamzu after the episode airs using this link
Credits
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.