GOLDEN BUZZARD RECEIVES NIGHTBIRDE
Seemingly every three years a young musical upstart positions themselves as one of the pivotal differentials of the DDP contest. Thomas Fekete in 2016 and Billy Clayton in 2019 both delivered for the eventual winners, and many of those vying for the 2022 crown had their eyes on America’s Got Talent darling Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski. Her electropop works were locally popular, and an on-and-off breast cancer battle inspired her to write “It’s OK” to keep herself in good spirits. She performed the song on AGT last summer, where her upbeat attitude in the face of both cancer and Simon Cowell tugged at audience heartstrings and moved Cowell to award her a Golden Buzzer. Cancer was a harsher critic, with a worsening prognosis forcing her to withdraw from the competition for health reasons and now causing Nightbirde’s swan song aged 31. Arguably the first major miss for current leader Smart Beta, ominous threats Banana’s Peel Slippers and David Quantick’s Showbiz Pals narrow his lead to 7 points. Defending champion Salmon Mousse, former co-host Pan Breed, and current committee members The Love Boat and GUN (the latter one of three to joker her) also fly up the scoreboard.
Nightbirde
29 December 1990 – 19 February 2022, aged 31
14 TEAMS (💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 10 POINTS, 🃏 (x3) 20 POINTS)