LAWRENCE — Now Bianelys Javier really has something to sing about.
Javier, 19, of Lawrence, has received a full four-year scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston valued at $143,000.
The scholarship news caps a roller-coaster ride for Javier, who 18 months ago was unable to carry a tune because she had damaged her vocal chords.
"That year off was awful. It was upsetting and frustrating for me," she recalled. "That's why I was really excited when I received the scholarship because I was devastated when I couldn't compete the year before.
"To make a comeback and get a scholarship, which is what I wanted, it was an amazing feeling," she said.
She won the scholarship after a dramatic performance of the duet of Stevie Wonder's "You and I" with friend Nathaniel Smith.
Javier said she learned a valuable lesson during the year she could not sing.
"It shows me that I can overcome and achieve what I want to. Perseverance was key, and I'm glad I kept working at it because this is something I always wanted to do," she said.
Javier will major in general studies at Berklee with a concentration on voice development inspired by the medical help she received.
Krystal Banfield, director of the summer program, can see Javier succeeding.
"She is compassionate and often helped other friends," Banfield said. "Her strongest asset other than her talent is her perseverance, her determination to succeed. She works very hard and is very dedicated ... . She is the best example of what can be done if you put your mind to it."
Banfield described Javier's voice as "very smooth and sultry."
Javier has been singing since age 10 and vividly remembers the first time she performed in public at the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
"I was such a nervous wreck that I stopped at one point," she recalled. "But the more I sang, the better I did."
Since then, Javier has won the Lawrence Music Clubhouse Idol in 2007 by belting out the song "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera.
"I was surprised because I didn't think I was going to win. It was hard because I was competing against one of my good friends," she said.
Javier was also a member of the Lawrence High School Girls Ensemble from 2007 to 2009 and attended Berklee's City Music program during the summers.
"I love singing. It's a great feeling because it's something you have control over, you entertain people and have a good time," she said.
Javier will be in the spotlight again Sept. 25 during the BeanTown Jazz Festival's free outdoor concert. She will be performing with the City Music All-Stars, a group of the best City Music students.
At home, she listens to Spanish Christian music as well as Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Usher, Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday.
The year her voice was healing, Javier kept herself busy by focusing on her studies at the Performing and Fine Arts High School of Lawrence High and visiting a speech therapist, who taught her how to use her voice without straining it.
"There were times when I didn't talk much or was completely silent because I wanted to get my voice back," Javier said.
Javier was one of 82 teenagers to take part in the five-week program that offers students music education, mentoring, tutoring and a scholarship to Berklee.
After graduating from Lawrence High, she attended Northern Essex Community College. She moved to Boston on Aug. 29 to begin her first semester at Berklee.
"Singing means everything to me,"she said. "Without it, there will be a huge void in my life."
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