Will opening for Lauryn Hill open doors for Winnipeg R & B singer FLO?

FLO (Tonya Randell)

Lauryn Hill to me is like a music icon, somebody I adore and have looked up to.  So it was that much more special and significant! - FLO

When R & B singer FLO Oramasionwu (aka FLO) was 18 she performed Lauryn Hill's version of "Joyful, Joyful"  from Sister Act II in the highschool musical.  From that moment on she fell in love with the stage.  

It was a dream come true last month when FLO got a call offering her the chance to open up for Lauryn Hill in the Centennial Concert Hall.

Flo opened up for Lauryn Hill at the Centennial Concert Hall last night. SCENE caught up with her today to find out how it all went down.

How did you land the chance to open for Lauren Hill?  
It all started with Black Ice Entertainment calling me to say they were bringing Lauryn Hill to Winnipeg (and I freaked out right then and there with that tidbit of information.  Lauryn Hill?  Winnipeg? AAAAAAAAAHHH!!), and they felt I would be a good fit to open up for her. 

How did I react?  Hysterics -- screaming, laughing, verge of tears, jumping up and down, pure insanity, lol!!!  I'm sure anybody who was in a close enough radar/proximity to me thought I was CRAZY!!

How did you get ready for the big night?
This whole month was aimed at focusing on nothing else but rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing.  And if I wasn't rehearsing it was some sort of preparation for the show  -- thinking about the songs in the set list, their order, how could they be changed live, piecing together my image for the show.

Yesterday was the big day.  How did it go?
The process of getting things prepped and onto the stage was not what I expected...but in the end, EVERYTHING turned out!  It's funny how that happens in life.
 
The day of the gig was absolute madness: on the go from beginning to end of the day.
Unfortunately I didn't see Lauryn Hill face to face and, but being in her presence while she was on stage was captivating (almost just as good)!!

All in all, I just wanted to BRING IT, have the audience feel what I was feeling, just get into the songs, let the beautiful music being created by the musicians around me uplift and inspire me, and enjoy every minute of being up on that stage.

There's a euphoria associated with a great performance, it's indescribable!! The feedback from members of the audience was fantastic!

What's next?
I feel that this opportunity has given me the chance to expose myself to other people who haven't seen me before, and to show others who have that I have grown and evolved as an artist. It was undoubtedly a huge honour, a stepping stone, a learning experience and a source of inspiration and encouragement And of course seeing a pro and icon such as Lauryn Hill do her thing live was unbelievable, pure awe and inspiration in action!.