Lisa Punch (born 4 September 1992) is a Guyanese-American singer, songwriter, actress, former tv host and beauty pageant titleholder. She is known for being a contestant on the Rising Star ABC television show in 2014 and as the Miss Guyana in 2015. She is also the founder of the Prevention of Teenage Suicide-Guyana (POTS) organization.
Lisa Punch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 4, 1992 |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | B.A in criminology and psychology |
| Alma mater | University of Guyana |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse |
Tyron Benn (m. 2018) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
editPunch was born on 4 September 1992 in Georgetown, Guyana. She spent six years of her childhood at the Eve Leary Police Compound, two years in Berbice, and then in Charlotte Street in Georgetown.[1] She is the daughter of John Errol Punch and Nafieza Aiana Daniels and the eldest of five siblings. At the age of three, she attended the Juliet Griffith Day Care Center in the town. In 2008, she obtained her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) from North Georgetown Secondary School. She went to Bishop's High School to study Communication and Law in 2010. In 2013, her family moved to the United States when she was 21. She has settled in Brooklyn, New York.[2][3][4][5][6] Later, she graduated from the University of Guyana in Criminology and Psychology.[7]
Career
editMusic
editPunch started singing at the age of 6. In 2003, she began participating in various television competition shows. At the age of 14, she competed in Guyana's first reality show, "Star Guyana" and she was selected as the winner after performing a rendition of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You.[2][5] She was the voice for Guyana in the regional theme song "Carifesta" in 2007.[2]
In 2009, she released her debut reggae single, "Secret Admirer". Soon it was followed by her other tracks like, "One Last Time", "My Inspiration", "How We Party", "Wickedee", "All I Need", "Wipe Those Tears", and "Stars Align".[8][9] Her debut album "The Evolution of Lisa Punch" was released in 2013.[4]
Punch rose to fame, both in Guyana and U.S, when she appeared on the ABC television show Rising Star as a contestant in 2014, where she competed up to the week 7.[10][3] She made headlines when she performed at the annual Barbados Music Awards 2014.[11] The same year, she was invited to perform at the inaugural Guyana Festival by the government of Guyana.[12][13] In June 2015, she was crowned as the Miss World Guyana. By the end of 2015, she participated in the Miss World competition held in Sanya, China. She won the Miss World Talent segment on 14 December 2015 by rendering her original song "One Last Time", which she wrote in the memory of her late cousin. She finally ended up eighth in the competition.[14][15][16][9][17]
In 2018, Punch paid tribute to the Indian political ethicist Gandhi by singing his favorite bhajan. She was invited by the Indian High Commission on the occasion of Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.[18]
Acting
editApart from singing, Punch has also pursued a career in acting. When she was a high school student, she used to perform in the Children's Mashramani Competition, representing the Georgetown district in dramatic poetry and almost always winning first place. She is a member of the Theatre Guild, Guyana. She played a notable role in the short film "Hope" which was screened at the Guyana Film Festival.[2][19]
Other ventures
editPunch did modelling at an early age. From 2011 to 2013, she also worked as a radio announcer and producer at the National Communications Network, Guyana. She hosted and produced a show called "Young, Talented, and Wise".[2][4]
Personal life
editPunch married Tyron Benn in 2018. The couple has two sons, Tayshaun and Leandre.[20]
Philanthropy
editPunch founded the Prevention of Teenage Suicide-Guyana organization in 2014. The organization works to counter the threatening social problem of suicide in Guyana.[21][7][22]
Awards
editShe has received, so far:
- The Best Actress Award for the play "The Concert" in 2008.[19]
- The Theatre Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2011.
- The Drama Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2011.
- The Drama Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2012.[2][6]
- The Guyana International Artistic Music Award 2016[23]
Albums and extended plays
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Evolution of Lisa Punch |
|
| Girl on Fire [13] |
|
| Perfectly Imperfect [24] |
|
| Where Did You Go |
|
| Tears of Joy |
|
| Talk About It |
|
References
edit- ^ "She Rocks! Congratulations to Lisa Punch, Miss World Guyana 2015". Guyanese Girls Rock!. 2015-06-27. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- ^ a b c d e f Rodrigues, Jairo (December 29, 2012). "The versatile Lisa Punch". Stabroek News.
- ^ a b "LISA PUNCH: Packing a wallop on the international scene". Guyana Chronicle. May 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c "The Lisa Punch Story: A journey from poverty to international fame". Guyana Chronicle. June 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Reece, Maggie (June 23, 2014). "Lisa Punch - Guyanese born singer, song writer, dancer and actress on ABC TV Rising Star". Guyana Graphic.
- ^ a b "She Rocks! Lisa Mary Johanna Punch: A Multitalented Shining *Star*". Guyanese Girls Rock. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- ^ a b Outridge, Michel (March 2, 2018). "Lisa Punch continues to make strides in the US". Guyana Chronicle.
- ^ Rhodius, Tiffny (October 2, 2010). "Lisa Punch is inspired". Stabroek News.
- ^ a b Clarke, Tangerine (September 2, 2015). "A 'Rising Star': Lisa Punch heads to China as 'Miss World' contestant". Caribbean Life.
- ^ "Guyanese Lisa Punch for ABC show `Rising Star'". Stabroek News. June 20, 2014.
- ^ "Guyana made an indelible mark at the annual Barbados Music Awards". iNews Guyana. January 18, 2014.
- ^ "Lisa Punch slated for Guyana Festival 2014". Kaieteur News. August 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "'Girl on Fire' Lisa Punch plans to blaze a trail". Stabroek News. August 30, 2014.
- ^ John, Simi (December 15, 2015). "Miss World 2015: Miss Guyana Lisa Punch becomes Talent Champion ahead of main competition". International Business Times.
- ^ "Miss Guyana Wins Miss World Talent Contest". News Americas Now. December 14, 2015.
- ^ "Lisa Punch among 'Top 30'". Guyana Chronicle. December 4, 2015.
- ^ "Miss Guyana Lisa Punch ends Miss World bid in top ten". Stabroek News. December 20, 2015.
- ^ King, Kemol (October 14, 2018). "An Ode to Gandhi, from Lisa Punch". Kaieteur News.
- ^ a b "Guyana has found its star". Guyana Chronicle. February 4, 2012.
- ^ "'I am a proud Guyanese'". Guyana Chronicle. November 22, 2020.
- ^ Joanna Dhanraj, Joanna (April 29, 2017). "POTS making a difference in Berbice". Stabroek News.
- ^ Jolliffe, Tony (26 February 2018). "The country with the highest female suicide rate in the world". BBC News.
- ^ "Plans set for Jubilee Music Awards, Music Fest for May 1". Guyana Chronicle. February 20, 2016.
- ^ "Lisa Punch is unafraid –to be 'Perfectly Imperfect'". Guyana Chronicle. April 27, 2017.