Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Cameal Davis - Nathaniel Stewart

Cameal Davis made Rising Stars history on Friday night when she became the first woman to win the five-year-old competition.

Singing Yolanda Adams' I Rise, which was an appropriate end to the competition, Cameal grooved her way into the hearts of many Jamaicans.

'The feeling is amazing'

After the competition, the happy singer said: "The feeling is amazing. I am elated. It's hard to explain what I am feeling inside. The only thing that can explain it is tears. I am grateful to everybody who voted for me."

Speaking with THE STAR before a performance at one of the Olympic celebrations yesterday, she said she felt honoured to be the winner.

"I feel honoured because I am the first female to win the competition and I want to dedicate this win to all the women who have entered the competition over the years," said the singer who is often referred to as the 'Denham Town Princess'.

Previous winners from the start of the competition in 2004 are Cavan, Christopher Martin, One Third and Romain Virgo.

As the judges' pick from the Ocho Rios audition, Cameal Davis did not expect to make it this far in the competition, especially since this is her third time entering.

"I told myself that I was not going to enter again but I got motivation from my mommy and my friends," she told THE STAR.

This year, Cameal said she was more prepared and decided to enter with the Negro spiritual Wade In The Water by Eva Cassidy, which she believed was a different approach.

However, she was not one of the top-two contestants. Yet, she hoped that she would be one of the judges' pick. And that she was.

Almost unnoticed

Cameal was almost unnoticed at the beginning of the live shows. However, as the competition progressed, she became one of the favourites. This was aided by the vocal and movement coaching, as well as her warm personality.

As the 'Rising Stars' winner, she got $1 million, two singles produced and distributed by Greensleeves, a music video, a new Sony Ericsson phone with $100,000 call credit from Digicel and a six-month scholarship from Joy Music.

While she will have to fulfil her obligations as the 'Rising Stars' winner, she does not have many immediate plans.

"For now, I will be going to the studios to do the recordings that I have to do, do some collaborations and seize all opportunities that I can," she said, while noting that she would like to do collaborations with Tarrus Riley, Yolanda Adams and Ne-Yo.

Nonetheless, Cameal does not want to limit herself to doing one genre of music. She said she would love to do gospel music, but she also wants to mix other genres of music so that she can get a different sound.

"I want to be an ambassador for Jamaica. I want to be the best that I can be. I don't want to limit myself," said Cameal who is now an employee at the Ministry of National Security.

The Rising Stars finalists share a moment on stage during the final show at the Mas Camp Village on Friday night.

Rising Stars 2008 winner Cameal Davis, shares the stage with a dance buddy as she performs at the competition's final concert at the Mas Camp Village on Friday night. - Nathaniel Stewart Photos

The Digicel Rising Stars series has ended. Here are two goodbye photos from the show held at the Mas Camp Village on Friday night.