Previous Winners

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Braxton Gibson is a 15-year-old vocalist and performer whose passion, discipline, and commitment to excellence have distinguished him as a rising talent in musical theater. He began singing at the age of eight and made his stage debut that same year as Jojo in Horton Hears a Who. Braxton’s recent theater credits include Mary Poppins where he played Micheal at Theatre Memphis—nominated for Best Musical at the Memphis Ostrander Awards and lauded with an outstanding review from BroadwayWorld—A Raisin in the Sun (Travis), Hairspray(Little Inez), and The Lion King at Hattiloo Theatre (Young Simba). Beyond the stage, Braxton has achieved significant success in vocal competitions. He earned 1st Sweepstakes at the 2024 Mid-South Fair Contest, later won Star of the Fair at the 2025 Delta Fair, and secured another 1st Sweepstakes title at the 2025 Mid-South Fair Contest. Braxton continues to develop his artistry under the mentorship of his vocal coach, Mary Billingsley, to whom he credits much of his growth, inspiration, and dedication to his craft.

Lizzie is in 8th grade at White Station Middle School where she is a member of Chorale Choir and The Spartones a capella group. She has been a student at School Of Rock Memphis since she was 9. She is a vocalist and plays bass and has performed in nearly 20 shows. Lizzie has been singing at The Song Shack since it opened and has performed in various showcases and vocal competitions. She recorded a jingle for the Wildwood Wildlife Zoo and was second runner up in the 2021 Mid-South Fair Youth Talent Competition Junior Division. Lizzie is also a member of the Temple Israel Teen Band where she sings and plays bass and keys. When she is not playing music, Lizzie loves hanging out with her friends, shopping, going to Broadway shows, spending her summers at camp in Wisconsin and traveling with her family. Big thanks to The Factor for the opportunity to record at Sun Studios - it was an amazing experience! 

Driven and passionate, Erin Dambrie has been performing since she was two years old. Though she started as a dancer, her early love of the stage translated into a lifelong passion for musical theatre and most importantly, singing. She began playing piano at age 6, and at age 8, Erin was cast in her first lead role when she played Tiny Tim in a community theatre production of A Christmas Carol. When she moved to Memphis at age 10, she began rigorously training and competing as a vocalist with her teachers Megan McNeely and Gina Vandegrift. She has attended Maine’s New England Music Camp for several summers now in the Core and Musical Theatre College Prep programs, and there, she has had the opportunity to gain classical and musical theatre training and work with vocal music professors from all around the country. She also currently sings in her school’s audition-only Chamber Ensemble. A few of her favorite theatre credits include playing Sophie in Mamma Mia!, Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde, Amalia in She Loves Me, Miss Honey in Matilda, and A Raven in The Robber Bridegroom for which she received a nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in the Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards. She has gotten to sing for an episode of Gimlet Media’s Not Past It podcast, and she recently starred in a student short film that premiered at the Indie Memphis Youth Film Fest. In the future, she hopes to attend college for Musical Theatre and make a career out of her passion for singing and acting as well as write and release music. As a 15-year-old freshman, Erin was ecstatic to win the inaugural year of The Factor, and she went on to be the 2023 1st Place winner of the Delta Fair’s Star of the Fair Competition and the 2023 1st Sweepstakes winner of the Mid-South Fair Youth Talent Competition. She is so grateful to Mary Billingsley and Missy Shackelford for the opportunity to compete in The Factor and record at Sun Studios! She would also love to thank God, her parents, and her vocal coaches for their love and support.