Country duo Skinner regional finalists in Searchlight competition
Sisters craft country sound despite hearing disability
Meet your Hamilton-area finalists for the CBCs Searchlight competition: country duo Skinner.
Over 100 Hamilton-area acts started out in the competition, and that list was whittled down by fan voting to two sisters – one who lives in Burlington, and one who lives in Hamilton.
Breya and Jackie Skinner's story isn't a conventional one. Breya is significantly hearing impaired and relies heavily on Jackie's vocal tones to stay in tune when singing.
The two are no strangers to competition, having made is to the semi-finals of NBC's Nashville Star. Jackie was also a contestant on the second season of The Amazing Race with her wife Laura Takahashi.
The sisters compare Skinner's sound to the Everly Brothers, and draw influences from acts like Sheryl Crow, the Zac Brown Band, Garth Brooks and Collective Soul.
Now that we've got a Hamilton-area finalist, make sure you vote as the contest rolls on and we barrel towards the finals. The polls open again as of 3 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The national winner will be announced live on q on May 15. That winner will get $20,000 in gear from Yamaha Canada Music and a gig at the CBC Music Festival in Toronto.