Friday's eagerly awaited jersey launch at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea just got even bigger and better with the confirmation that two of Wales' best young singers will entertain supporters ahead of the big reveal.
Swansea’s very own Shaheen Jafargholi, a finalist in the 2009 series of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, and Tom Richards of Pontypridd who reached the boot camp stage of X Factor the following year, will both be performing at the launch event which is expected to attract hundreds of fans keen to get their first glimpse of the new-look Ospreys shirt.
With the countdown to the unveiling well and truly underway, the addition of the two young singers has ensured that this year’s event is going to be even more memorable, and Andrew Hore, Chief Operations Officer at the Ospreys, says it’s going to be a great family day out:
“We are delighted to be able to confirm Shaheen and Tom as part of our launch event at the National Waterfront Museum. We pride ourselves on developing young home grown talent so it’s fitting that these two extremely talented young Welsh singers are going to help us launch the 2012/13 Ospreys jersey. We are grateful to our partners at the Wave/Swansea Sound for bringing them to the launch.
“Being able to take such an important event out into the local community just gives everything an even bigger buzz. With our home game against Bath at the Liberty Stadium the following day, it makes for a fantastic weekend and a great way to kick start the new season.”
Shaheen burst to fame as a 12-year old when his stunning version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Who’s Loving You’ grabbed the attention of Simon Cowell and his fellow judges before going on to perform on the Oprah Winfrey show in the US. Invited to perform as part of Jackson’s ‘This is It’ comeback show in London, following the superstar’s untimely death Shaheen instead travelled to Los Angeles to perform at the televised memorial service alongside the likes of Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder.
Tom controversially lost out to wacky Braziian singer Wagner as a 17-year old in the 2010 series of X Factor, a decision that caused uproar among fans of the show, but he is now looking to kick-start a professional career in the music business.
The fun and games get underway at 11am on Friday with rugby themed inflatables, coaching sessions from the Ospreys Community Rugby team and special appearances from Ozzy the Osprey and The Wave/Swansea Sound’s Dylan the Dog. Shaheen and Tom will perform from midday, before the arrival of the entire playing squad to meet supporters, sign autographs and pose for pictures, ahead of the unveiling.