Given this is my first post, I feel it's only fair to give you a little background on who I am, and what this blog will be used for.
I'm out make full use of my vocal talents, and have a great time while doing it.
Now, I don't profess to be the greatest singer there ever was. We have plenty of people out there who claim to be the next Aretha Franklin, and I'm not one of them. I feel I have a great amount of talent, and I plan on sharing it with anyone who will listen.
I've been singing for as long as I can remember. I grew up singing female divas, along the likes of Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. Of course, this wasn't the best use of my voice, but it helped to build my range. The countless hours that my family put up with my high-pitched "screeching" should have been enough to drive them up the walls.
From there, I spend the next few years singing all over the place. I practice at home, in the car, and eventually end up in my high school choir. The structure of the choir helped to show me how to use my voice in a trained setting. A brief stint in the church worship team helped me to get over my fear of singing in front of large crowds.
The first time I can remember performing for a large audience, I was 18 and working at the Toys R Us warehouse in Rialto, California. For the annual Christmas party, they held a talent show, with first prize walking away with $100. I was in charge of getting others to sign up, but everyone was pushing me to enter myself. My original plan was to sign up, and then drop out at the last minute. Of course, nothing ever works out as planned, and I started to actually prepare for the singing. I decided on "Mary, Did You Know?", as performed by Donny Osmond.
The day of the event, I was nervous as hell. I knew my time was coming to sing, and I couldn't imagine getting up in front of all my co-workers. What if I forget the words? What if I hit the wrong note? There were too many things that could have gone wrong. My competition was comprised of mostly singers (even though it was a talent show, and they could have done anything). There was even a guy who brought in his own band, and I was just planning on singing with a background CD.
I took the stage, and the CD started. My hands were shaking, my whole body tensed up, and when I started to sing, I kept my eyes closed. I tried to imagine it was just me and the music. Nobody else was around. To my suprise, my voice came out clear and loud. It was a bit startling to hear my voice as everyone else was hearing it, but I focused on the job at hand.
I finshed my song, left the stage to a round of applause, and waited with my friends for the results. After 20 minutes of other singers, they announced the winners. I ended up taking home first prize, and the amazement of my co-workers. They were shocked that I could sing. I didn't think I could do it either, but it turned out great.
I went on to other competitions, and tried my hand at several karaoke bars. The amount of people I've seen in karaoke bars without an inkling of talent, but they try anyway, always makes me laugh. I'm not sure if it's friends telling them they sound great, a LOT of alcohol, or a combination of both, but they give it their all, and entertain the crowd for a few minutes.
In my next entry, I'll talk about the meaning behind "Princess Idol 2004", and my shot at fame on Fox's American Idol.
