A Vancouver Island singer’s dream became reality when he flew across the country and sang the national anthem at an NBA game in January.
Two days before the game, Raymond Salgado, who was a finalist in last year’s season of Canada’s Got Talent, was asked to take centre court at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena for the Toronto Raptors versus Chicago Bulls game on Jan. 18.
The opportunity was a twist of fate since the scheduled singer was unable to perform and the request came on short notice.
“I feel like if I didn’t say yes, there wouldn’t have been that opportunity to do it again … In my heart, I really wanted to do it,” Salgado said. “Being able to sing both the Canadian and American anthems, you just really felt the love of the stadium and crowd. People came up to me and were so complimentary.”
Last month’s performance wasn’t the first time Salgado sang at a sporting event – he sang the anthem at a Vancouver Canucks game at Rogers Arena in 2021 – but as a member of the LGBTQ community, he was especially honoured to start off 2024 by singing on Pride night.
The singer will perform live in Nanaimo this month as a headliner for ‘The Power of Love’ concert with Jona Kristinsson and Jonah O Connor. The show will include original material from all three performers, as well as some familiar staples.
“With everything that’s happening in the world, music is so vital in a lot of our lives … it brings us together, brings us peace and gives us the chance to unite with our loved ones,” Salgado said.
During the concert, the singer plans to debut his song titled Filter that allows him to “accept and acknowledge that it’s OK not to be perfect.” He wrote it before performing on Canada’s Got Talent last year, and is the first original song he’s written in a long time.
“Filter was almost a song that I needed to write to get out of where I was emotionally. I was in a rut. And the song really just talks about surrounding pressures of society and social media,” Salgado said. “I think a lot of people need this type of song to know that they’re not alone, especially when it comes to the seeking of approval from others.”
‘The Power of Love’ concert takes place at St. Andrew’s United Church on Fitzwilliam Street on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.tixr.com.
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